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The Newcastle manager is not given to histrionics or grand public statements. So by his usual demeanor, his media briefing after Sunday’s loss to West Ham counts as a furious outburst. Newcastle scored first but the opposition took the lead by half-time, as well as hitting the post and seeing a spot-kick overturned by VAR, leading Howe to make a three substitutions at the break.

“That was the frustrating thing about the first half,” the coach stated. “Virtually any player could have been substituted and I believe that was a reflection of where we were in that moment during the match and it’s very, very rare for me to feel that way. In fact, I don’t think I have during my tenure as manager of Newcastle, therefore I believed the squad required some shaking up at half-time. That’s why I did what I did.”

Three key players were substituted at half-time and the team did stabilise somewhat in the second half, without ever appearing like they could get back into the game against a side that had secured just a single victory of their last nine fixtures. Given the congestion the centre of the standings is, with just three points dividing third from 11th, and nine points between second and 17th, a sequence of 12 points from ten matches has not placed the Magpies adrift but, equally, they cannot end the campaign in thirteenth place.

The Problem of Expectations

The problem partially is one of perception. In the Saudi Public Investment Fund, Newcastle possess the wealthiest owners in the world. The assumption when the PIF acquired a majority stake of the team in recent years was that it would bring a game-changing impact, as the former Chelsea owner achieved at Stamford Bridge or the City Group had at Manchester City. The difference is that those two investors took over before the introduction of FFP regulations (while the current charges against Manchester City concern whether they breached those regulations once they were in place).

Financial restrictions restrict the capacity of owners, no matter how wealthy, to spend money on their squads and so in that sense probably might have slowed any Saudi attempt to raise Newcastle to the level of Manchester City. However there is no need for the club's spending to have been quite as cautious as it has; they could have spent more and remained within the threshold – or simply taken a fairly minor European penalty given their big problem is more with the European than the Premier League regulation.

Infrastructure Spending and PSR Regulations

Besides which, stadium development is excluded from Profit and Sustainability assessments; the simplest method to raise income to create more financial headroom would be to expand or renovate the stadium. Given the location of St James’ Park, with protected structures on multiple sides, practically that probably implies building an completely new stadium. There was talk in spring of possibly undertaking the nearby relocation to Leazes Park – opposition from community organizations might have been overcome with a promise to build a replacement green space on the current ground location – but there has not been any progress on that proposal. There has been substantial cutbacks from the Saudi fund on a range of initiatives as it refocuses on domestic affairs; the attitude to Newcastle appears completely in keeping with that change of approach.

The Alexander Isak Saga

The Alexander Isak saga was born of that conflict. A more confident management could have framed his sale as necessary to free up funds for further spending; instead there was a unsuccessful effort to keep him. This resulted in the team began the season amidst a feeling of frustration even with the acquisitions of several new players. The opening was indifferent: one win in their first six games.

Yet it appeared a turning point had been turned. They had won five in six before Sunday, a run that included convincing wins of a Belgian side and Benfica in the European competition. This explains the performance against the Hammers was such a shock. The problem maybe is that Newcastle’s style is very aggressive, very high-octane; a minor decrease in energy can have significant consequences. Perhaps the pressure of domestic, Champions League and Carabao Cup competition, five games in a fortnight, had got to them. Woltemade started all five games and appeared particularly fatigued.

Reality of Modern Soccer

That’s the nature of today's the sport. Managers must be ready to rotate. The manager has been unlucky that the forward's fitness issue has left him lacking forward choices but, regardless of how valid the explanations, Sunday’s showing was inexcusable –particularly following scoring first at a stadium primed to turn on its own side.

The Newcastle boss will hope it was just a blip, one of those days when all players is off-colour at once, but if the Magpies are to secure the Champions League in the future, let alone one day mount an genuine title challenge, they cannot be as inconsistent as they have been.