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Eddie Howe isn't typically given to dramatics or sweeping media pronouncements. So by his usual demeanor, his press conference following Sunday’s loss to West Ham counts as a angry outburst. His side scored first but the opposition were ahead by half-time, as well as striking the woodwork and seeing a spot-kick revoked by VAR, leading Howe to make a three substitutions at the half-time.

“The opening period was particularly irritating,” the coach said. “Virtually any player could have been substituted and I think that was a reflection of our performance level in that moment in the game and it's extremely uncommon for me to have that impression. Actually, I don’t think I have since I’ve been head coach of the club, so I felt the team required some shaking up at the break. This explains why I made those decisions.”

Anthony Gordon, Nick Woltemade and Emil Krafth were substituted at half-time and Newcastle did stabilise somewhat in the second half, without ever really looking like they could get back into the game against a side that had won only one of their last nine league matches. Given how packed the middle of the table is, with just three points separating third from 11th, and nine points between second and 17th, a sequence of twelve points from ten matches has not placed the Magpies stranded but, equally, they cannot finish the season in thirteenth place.

The Issue of Expectations

The challenge to an extent is one of public view. In the Saudi Public Investment Fund, the club have the richest backers in the globe. The expectation when the PIF bought a majority stake of the team in 2021 was that it would have a transformative effect, similar to the former Chelsea owner had at Chelsea or the City Group had at Manchester City. The difference is that both of those investors assumed control prior to the introduction of financial fair play rules (while the current charges against City relate to whether they breached those guidelines after they were implemented).

Profit and sustainability restrictions restrict the capacity of proprietors, no matter how wealthy, to invest funds on their squads and so in that sense likely would have slowed any Saudi effort to elevate Newcastle to the standard of Manchester City. But it wasn't necessary for the club's spending to have been so restrained as it has been; they might have invested further and stayed inside the threshold – or just accepted a fairly minor European penalty since their major problem is more with the continental than the domestic rules.

Infrastructure Investment and Financial Rules

Besides which, infrastructure spending is excluded from Profit and Sustainability assessments; the easiest way to raise income to create more financial flexibility would be to extend or redevelop the arena. Considering the location of the home ground, with protected structures on two sides, in reality that likely means building an entirely new venue. There was talk in March of potentially undertaking the nearby relocation to a local park – resistance from community organizations could surely have been overcome with a commitment to create a replacement green space on the current stadium site – but there has not been any progress on that plan. There has occurred significant cutbacks from the PIF on a variety of projects as it refocuses on domestic affairs; the attitude to the football club appears completely in keeping with that strategic shift.

Player Sales Saga

The star striker episode was arose from that conflict. A more confident leadership could have portrayed his sale as essential to free up capital for additional investment; rather there was a vain effort to retain him. This resulted in the team began the season amidst a feeling of disappointment despite the acquisitions of Woltemade, Yoane Wissa, Jacob Ramsey, Malick Thiaw and Anthony Elanga. The start was indifferent: one win in their first six fixtures.

Yet it appeared a turning point had been turned. They secured five victories in six matches prior to the weekend, a streak that featured convincing wins of a Belgian side and Benfica in the European competition. That’s why the performance against West Ham was so surprising. The problem maybe is that the team's style is extremely intense, high-energy; a minor decrease in energy can have significant effects. Maybe the pressure of Premier League, Champions League and cup matches, five fixtures in 15 days, had got to them. The German forward started each of those games and looked especially weary.

Reality of Contemporary Football

That’s the reality of modern the sport. Coaches must be ready to make changes. Howe has been unfortunate that Wissa’s injury has meant he is lacking attacking options but, no matter how valid the explanations, the weekend's performance was inexcusable –particularly following taking the lead at a stadium primed to criticize its own side.

The Newcastle boss will hope it was just a blip, one of those days when everybody is off-colour at once, but if the Magpies are to secure the European competition in the future, not to mention eventually mount an genuine championship bid, they must not be as inconsistent as this.