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The Newcastle manager isn't typically given to histrionics or sweeping public statements. So by his usual demeanor, his media briefing after the weekend's loss to West Ham qualifies as a angry outburst. His side took an early lead but the opposition took the lead by the interval, while also hitting the post and having a penalty overturned by VAR, prompting Howe to make a three substitutions at the break.

“The opening period was particularly irritating,” the coach said. “Virtually any player could have been substituted and I believe that was a reflection of where we were at that stage in the game and it's extremely uncommon for me to have that impression. Actually, I cannot recall having done so since I’ve been manager of Newcastle, therefore I believed the squad needed some shaking up at the break. That’s why I made those decisions.”

Three key players all came off at half-time and Newcastle did stabilise somewhat in the second half, without ever appearing like they could fight back into the contest against an opponent that had secured just a single victory of their last nine fixtures. Given how packed the centre of the standings currently is, with a mere three-point gap separating third from 11th, and a nine-point margin between second and 17th, a sequence of twelve points from ten matches has not left the Magpies adrift but, similarly, they cannot end the campaign in thirteenth place.

The Problem of Perception

The challenge partially is one of public view. With the Saudi PIF, the club have the wealthiest owners in the globe. The expectation when the PIF acquired 80% of the team in recent years 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 owners assumed control prior to the introduction of FFP rules (and the current allegations against Manchester City relate to whether they violated those guidelines after they were in place).

Profit and sustainability regulations limit the ability of proprietors, however rich, to invest funds on their teams and so in that sense likely would have slowed any Saudi effort to elevate Newcastle to the level of City. However there is no need for the club's expenditure to have been quite as cautious as it has; they might have spent more and remained within the limit – or simply taken a relatively meagre Uefa penalty given their big issue is more with the continental than the domestic rules.

Stadium Investment and PSR Rules

Additionally, infrastructure spending is excluded from Profit and Sustainability calculations; the simplest way to raise income to generate more financial flexibility would be to expand or redevelop the stadium. Given the site of St James’ Park, with listed buildings on multiple sides, in reality that likely implies building an entirely new stadium. Rumors circulated in spring of potentially making the nearby relocation to Leazes Park – opposition from local groups might have been overcome with a commitment to build a replacement green space on the current stadium site – but there has been no movement on that plan. There has been significant retrenchment from the PIF on a range of projects as it refocuses on domestic affairs; the attitude to the football club seems completely in keeping with that change of approach.

Player Sales Saga

The Alexander Isak episode was arose from that conflict. A more confident leadership could have portrayed his sale as essential to free up funds for additional investment; rather there was a unsuccessful attempt to keep him. That meant the team started the campaign amidst a sense of frustration even with the signings of several new players. The opening was mixed: one win in their initial six fixtures.

But it appeared a corner had been turned. They had won five victories in six matches before the weekend, a run that featured demolitions of a Belgian side and a Portuguese club in the European competition. That’s why the performance against West Ham was so surprising. The problem perhaps is that the team's approach is very aggressive, very high-octane; a minor decrease in energy can have significant consequences. Perhaps the strain of domestic, Champions League and Carabao Cup competition, five fixtures in 15 days, had taken its toll. Woltemade featured in all five matches and looked particularly weary.

Reality of Modern Football

That’s the nature of today's the sport. Coaches must be prepared to make changes. The manager has been unfortunate that Wissa’s fitness issue has meant he is short of attacking options but, no matter how reasonable the explanations, the weekend's showing was inexcusable –especially following taking the lead at a stadium ready to criticize its own side.

The Newcastle boss will hope it was just a blip, one of those days when everybody is below par at once, but if Newcastle are to qualify for the European competition in the future, let alone eventually mount an actual title challenge, they must not be as inconsistent as this.