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The Newcastle manager is not prone to dramatics or grand public statements. Based on his usual demeanor, his media briefing after Sunday’s loss to West Ham counts as a furious outburst. Newcastle scored first but West Ham were ahead by the interval, while also striking the woodwork and having a penalty overturned by VAR, prompting Howe to make a three substitutions at the break.

“That was the frustrating thing about the first half,” the coach said. “I almost could have taken anyone off and I believe this indicated of our performance level at that stage in the game and it’s very, very rare for me to have that impression. In fact, I cannot recall 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 made those decisions.”

Three key players were substituted at the interval and the team did stabilise somewhat in the second half, but never appearing like they could get back into the contest against a side that had won only one of their previous nine fixtures. Given the congestion the middle of the table currently is, with just three points dividing the top spots from mid-table, and nine points between second and 17th, a sequence of 12 points from ten matches has not left the Magpies adrift but, equally, they cannot finish the season in 13th.

The Problem of Perception

The challenge to an extent is one of perception. In the Saudi Public Investment Fund, the club have the wealthiest owners in the globe. The assumption at the time the Saudi fund bought a majority stake of the club in 2021 was that it would bring a game-changing impact, similar to Roman Abramovich achieved at Stamford Bridge or Sheikh Mansour did at the Etihad. The difference is that those two investors took over before the advent of financial fair play regulations (and the ongoing charges against Manchester City relate to if they violated those guidelines after they were in place).

Profit and sustainability restrictions restrict the capacity of owners, however rich, to invest funds on their squads and therefore probably might have hindered any Saudi effort to raise Newcastle to the standard of Manchester City. However there is no need for Newcastle’s expenditure to have been quite as cautious as it has been; they might have invested further and remained within the threshold – or just accepted a fairly minor Uefa fine given their major problem is more with the European than the Premier League regulation.

Stadium Investment and Financial Regulations

Besides which, infrastructure spending is excluded from PSR assessments; the simplest way to raise income to create more PSR flexibility would be to extend or renovate the stadium. Given the location of the home ground, with protected structures on multiple sides, practically that probably implies building an completely new venue. There was talk in spring of possibly undertaking the short move to a local park – resistance from local groups might have been surmounted with a commitment 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 retrenchment from the PIF on a range of initiatives as it refocuses on local investments; the attitude to the football club appears completely in alignment with that strategic shift.

The Alexander Isak Saga

The Alexander Isak saga was arose from that tension. A bolder leadership could have portrayed his sale as essential to release capital for further spending; instead there was a vain attempt to retain him. This resulted in the team began the season amid a feeling of disappointment even with the signings of Woltemade, Yoane Wissa, Jacob Ramsey, Malick Thiaw and Anthony Elanga. The start was mixed: one win in their first six games.

But it appeared a turning point had been turned. They had won five in six before Sunday, a streak that featured demolitions of Union Saint-Gilloise and a Portuguese club in the Champions League. This explains the performance against the Hammers was such a shock. The issue perhaps is that Newcastle’s style is very aggressive, high-energy; a slight drop-off in intensity can have significant effects. Perhaps the pressure of domestic, European and cup matches, five fixtures in 15 days, had got to them. Woltemade featured in each of those matches and appeared particularly fatigued.

The Nature of Contemporary Soccer

That’s the reality of today's football. Coaches must be prepared to rotate. The manager has been unlucky that Wissa’s injury has left him short of attacking options but, no matter how valid the reasons, Sunday’s showing was inexcusable –especially following scoring first at a ground ready to turn on its own side.

Howe will wish it was just a blip, an off-day when everybody is off-colour at once, but if Newcastle are to secure the Champions League next season, let alone eventually mount an genuine championship bid, they must not be as inconsistent as they have been.