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Eddie Howe is not prone to histrionics or sweeping public pronouncements. So by his usual demeanor, his media briefing following Sunday’s 3-1 defeat qualifies as a angry outburst. Newcastle scored first but West Ham were ahead by half-time, while also striking the woodwork and having a penalty revoked by VAR, leading Howe to make a triple change at the break.

“The opening period was particularly irritating,” Howe said. “Virtually any player could have been substituted and I believe this indicated of our performance level in that moment in the game and it’s very, very rare for me to have that impression. Actually, I cannot recall having done so during my tenure as manager of the club, so I felt the team required a significant change at the break. This explains why I made what I did.”

Three key players all came off at the interval and Newcastle did stabilise to an extent in the latter period, without ever really looking like they could fight 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 currently is, with just three points dividing the top spots from mid-table, and a nine-point margin between the upper and lower ranks, a run of twelve points from 10 games has not placed the Magpies stranded but, equally, they cannot finish the season in 13th.

The Problem of Expectations

The problem to an extent is one of public view. In the Saudi Public Investment Fund, Newcastle possess the wealthiest owners in the globe. The assumption when the Saudi fund acquired 80% of the team in recent years was that it would have a game-changing impact, as the former Chelsea owner achieved at Stamford Bridge or Sheikh Mansour did at the Etihad. The distinction is that those two investors took over prior to the advent of financial fair play regulations (while the current allegations against City relate to if they breached those guidelines once they were in place).

Financial regulations restrict the ability of proprietors, however rich, to invest funds on their squads and therefore likely would have hindered every Middle Eastern effort to elevate Newcastle to the level of Manchester City. But it wasn't necessary for the club's expenditure to have been quite as cautious as it has been; they could have spent more and stayed inside the limit – or simply taken a relatively meagre Uefa penalty given their major issue is more with the continental than the domestic rules.

Stadium Spending and PSR Rules

Besides which, stadium development is excluded from Profit and Sustainability calculations; the simplest way to raise income to generate additional PSR flexibility would be to extend or redevelop the arena. Given the location of St James’ Park, with listed buildings on multiple sides, practically that probably means building an completely new stadium. Rumors circulated in March of possibly making the short move to Leazes Park – resistance from community organizations could surely have been overcome with a commitment to build a replacement green space on the existing ground location – but there has not been any progress on that plan. There has occurred significant retrenchment from the Saudi fund on a variety of projects as it shifts focus on domestic affairs; the approach to Newcastle appears entirely in alignment with that strategic shift.

The Alexander Isak Situation

The Alexander Isak saga was born of that tension. A more confident management could have portrayed his transfer as essential to release capital for further spending; instead there was a vain effort to keep him. That meant Newcastle began the season amidst a sense of frustration even with the signings of Woltemade, Yoane Wissa, Jacob Ramsey, Malick Thiaw and Anthony Elanga. The start was indifferent: one win in their initial six games.

Yet it seemed a corner was reached. They secured five in six before Sunday, a run that featured convincing wins of a Belgian side and a Portuguese club in the Champions League. That’s why the performance against the Hammers was so surprising. The problem maybe is that the team's approach is extremely intense, very high-octane; a slight drop-off in energy can have significant consequences. Maybe the pressure of domestic, Champions League and Carabao Cup competition, five fixtures in 15 days, had taken its toll. Woltemade featured in each of those games and looked especially fatigued.

Reality of Contemporary Football

That’s the reality of modern the sport. Coaches have to be prepared to make changes. The manager has been unfortunate that the forward's fitness issue has meant he is lacking forward choices but, no matter how valid the reasons, Sunday’s performance was inexcusable –especially following taking the lead at a ground primed to turn on its own side.

Howe will wish it was merely a temporary setback, an off-day when all players is below par simultaneously, but if Newcastle are to qualify for the European competition next season, not to mention one day launch an actual title challenge, they cannot be as inconsistent as they have been.