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Eddie Howe isn't typically prone to histrionics or sweeping public pronouncements. Based on his standards, his press conference after Sunday’s 3-1 defeat counts as a furious tirade. His side scored first but West Ham took the lead by half-time, while also hitting the post and seeing a spot-kick overturned by VAR, prompting Howe to execute a three substitutions at the half-time.

“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 our performance level at that stage in the game and it's extremely uncommon for me to feel that way. Actually, I cannot recall I have since I’ve been manager of Newcastle, therefore I believed the squad needed a significant change at the break. This explains why I made those decisions.”

Three key players all came off at half-time and the team did stabilise somewhat in the second half, but never really looking like they could get back into the contest against a side that had secured just a single victory of their previous nine league matches. Given the congestion the centre of the table currently is, with just three points separating the top spots from mid-table, and a nine-point margin between second and 17th, a sequence of 12 points from 10 games has not left Newcastle adrift but, equally, they cannot end the campaign in thirteenth place.

The Problem of Perception

The challenge to an extent is one of public view. With the Saudi PIF, Newcastle possess the richest backers in the world. The expectation when the PIF bought a majority stake of the club in recent years was that it would bring a game-changing impact, similar to Roman Abramovich achieved at Stamford Bridge or Sheikh Mansour had at Manchester City. The distinction is that those two owners assumed control before the introduction of financial fair play rules (and the ongoing allegations against Manchester City concern whether they violated those regulations after they were in place).

Profit and sustainability regulations restrict the ability of owners, no matter how wealthy, to spend money on their teams and so in that sense likely would have hindered any Middle Eastern effort to elevate Newcastle to the standard of City. However it wasn't necessary for the club's expenditure to have been quite as cautious as it has; they might have spent more and remained within the threshold – or just accepted a relatively meagre Uefa fine since their major issue is more with the European than the domestic rules.

Infrastructure Investment and PSR Regulations

Additionally, infrastructure spending is exempted from Profit and Sustainability assessments; the simplest way to increase revenue to create additional financial flexibility would be to extend or redevelop the stadium. Given the location of the home ground, with protected structures on two sides, practically that probably implies building an completely new venue. Rumors circulated in spring of possibly making the short move to Leazes Park – opposition from community organizations might have been surmounted with a commitment to build a replacement green space on the existing ground location – but there has not been any progress on that proposal. There has been significant cutbacks from the PIF on a range of projects as it refocuses on domestic affairs; the approach to the football club seems completely in alignment with that strategic shift.

Player Sales Situation

The Alexander Isak episode was arose from that conflict. A more confident leadership might have portrayed his sale as necessary to free up capital for additional investment; instead there was a vain attempt to keep him. That meant the team started the campaign amidst a sense of frustration even with the acquisitions of several new players. The start was indifferent: a single victory in their initial six games.

But it seemed a corner had been turned. They had won five in six before the weekend, a run that featured convincing wins of a Belgian side and a Portuguese club in the Champions League. That’s why the performance against West Ham was so surprising. The issue maybe is that Newcastle’s approach is extremely intense, high-energy; a minor decrease in energy can have significant effects. Perhaps the pressure of Premier League, Champions League and cup competition, five games in 15 days, had got to them. The German forward featured in each of those games and looked especially weary.

Reality of Contemporary Football

This is the nature of modern the sport. Coaches have to be ready to make changes. The manager has been unlucky that the forward's injury has meant he is lacking attacking options but, regardless of how valid the explanations, Sunday’s showing was inexcusable –particularly following taking the lead at a ground primed to turn on its own side.

The Newcastle boss will wish it was merely a temporary setback, an off-day when everybody is below par at once, but if the Magpies are to qualify for the Champions League in the future, not to mention one day mount an actual championship bid, they must not be as inconsistent as this.