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Eddie Howe is not given to dramatics or grand media statements. Based on his usual demeanor, his press conference following the weekend's loss to West Ham counts as a angry outburst. His side took an early lead but West Ham were ahead by half-time, while also striking the woodwork and seeing a spot-kick revoked by VAR, prompting Howe to execute a triple change at the half-time.

“That was the frustrating thing about the first half,” Howe stated. “I almost could have taken anyone off and I think this indicated of our performance level in that moment during the match and it's extremely uncommon for me to have that impression. Actually, I cannot recall I have since I’ve been manager of Newcastle, therefore I believed the team needed a significant change at half-time. This explains why I did what I did.”

Anthony Gordon, Nick Woltemade and Emil Krafth were substituted at half-time and Newcastle managed to steady somewhat in the second half, but never really looking like they might fight back into the game against an opponent that had won only one of their previous nine fixtures. Given the congestion the centre of the table currently is, with just three points separating third from 11th, and a nine-point margin between second and 17th, a sequence of twelve points from 10 games has not placed Newcastle adrift but, equally, they must not finish the season in thirteenth place.

The Problem of Perception

The challenge partially is one of perception. With the Saudi PIF, the club have the richest backers in the globe. The expectation at the time the Saudi fund bought a majority stake of the club in recent years was that it would bring a game-changing impact, similar to the former Chelsea owner had at Chelsea or the City Group did at the Etihad. The difference is that both of those owners assumed control before the introduction of financial fair play rules (while the current allegations against Manchester City concern whether they breached those guidelines after they were implemented).

Profit and sustainability restrictions restrict the ability of owners, however rich, to invest funds on their teams and so in that sense likely might have hindered any Saudi effort to elevate Newcastle to the level of City. However it wasn't necessary for the club's spending to have been quite as cautious as it has; they might have spent more and remained within the threshold – or simply taken a relatively meagre Uefa fine given their major issue is more with the European than the Premier League rules.

Stadium Investment and Financial Rules

Additionally, stadium development is excluded from Profit and Sustainability assessments; the simplest method to raise income to create more financial flexibility would be to expand or redevelop the stadium. Given the site of St James’ Park, with protected structures on multiple sides, practically that likely means constructing an entirely new stadium. Rumors circulated in spring of potentially making the short move to Leazes Park – resistance from local groups might have been surmounted with a promise to create a replacement green space on the existing ground location – but there has been any progress on that plan. There has been significant retrenchment from the Saudi fund on a variety of projects as it refocuses on local investments; the attitude to the football club seems completely in keeping with that strategic shift.

Player Sales Saga

The Alexander Isak saga was arose from that tension. A more confident leadership could have portrayed his transfer as necessary to free up capital for further investment; rather there was a unsuccessful attempt to keep him. This resulted in Newcastle started the campaign amid a feeling of disappointment despite the acquisitions of several new players. The start was mixed: a single victory in their first six games.

But it appeared a turning point was reached. They secured five victories in six matches prior to the weekend, a run that included convincing wins of Union Saint-Gilloise and Benfica in the European competition. That’s why the display against the Hammers was so surprising. The issue perhaps is that the team's approach is very aggressive, high-energy; a slight drop-off in intensity can have profound consequences. Perhaps the pressure of Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup matches, five games in a fortnight, had taken its toll. The German forward featured in each of those games and looked particularly weary.

Reality of Modern Soccer

That’s the nature of modern football. Coaches must be ready to rotate. The manager has been unlucky that Wissa’s injury has meant he is lacking attacking options but, no matter how reasonable the reasons, the weekend's performance was unacceptable –especially after scoring first at a stadium primed to criticize its home team.

The Newcastle boss will wish it was merely a temporary setback, an off-day when everybody is off-colour at once, but if the Magpies are to qualify for the European competition next season, let alone eventually launch an genuine championship bid, they cannot be as inconsistent as they have been.