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The Newcastle manager is not prone to histrionics or sweeping media pronouncements. So by his standards, his media briefing after Sunday’s loss to West Ham qualifies as a furious outburst. His side scored first but West Ham took the lead by the interval, as well as striking the woodwork and having a penalty overturned by VAR, prompting Howe to execute a three substitutions at the half-time.

“The opening period was particularly irritating,” the coach stated. “Virtually any player could have been substituted and I think 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. In fact, I cannot recall having done so since I’ve been manager of Newcastle, so I felt the team needed a significant change at half-time. This explains why I did what I did.”

Three key players all came off at the interval and Newcastle did stabilise somewhat in the latter period, without ever appearing like they might get back into the game against a side that had secured just a single victory of their previous nine league matches. Given how packed the middle of the standings currently is, with just three points separating third from 11th, and a nine-point margin between second and 17th, a sequence of 12 points from ten matches has not left the Magpies adrift but, equally, they must not finish the season in 13th.

The Issue of Expectations

The challenge to an extent is one of perception. In the Saudi Public Investment Fund, Newcastle have the wealthiest backers in the globe. The assumption at the time the Saudi fund bought a majority stake of the team in recent years was that it would bring a transformative effect, similar to the former Chelsea owner had at Chelsea or the City Group had at Manchester City. The distinction is that both of those investors assumed control before the advent of FFP rules (and the ongoing charges against Manchester City relate to whether they violated those guidelines after they were implemented).

Financial restrictions restrict the ability of proprietors, no matter how wealthy, to spend money on their squads and so in that sense likely would have hindered any Saudi attempt to raise the team to the level of City. But there is no need for Newcastle’s expenditure to have been so restrained as it has been; they might have spent more and stayed inside the limit – or simply taken a fairly minor Uefa penalty since their big issue is more with the European than the Premier League rules.

Infrastructure Spending and PSR Regulations

Besides which, infrastructure spending is exempted from Profit and Sustainability assessments; the simplest method to raise income to generate more financial flexibility would be to expand or renovate the arena. Considering the location of St James’ Park, with protected structures on two sides, in reality that probably implies constructing an completely new venue. Rumors circulated in spring of potentially undertaking the short move to Leazes Park – resistance from community organizations might have been surmounted with a commitment to build a new park on the existing stadium site – but there has been no movement on that proposal. There has occurred substantial retrenchment from the PIF on a variety of initiatives as it refocuses on domestic affairs; the approach to Newcastle seems entirely in alignment with that change of approach.

The Alexander Isak Saga

The star striker saga was arose from that conflict. A bolder leadership might have portrayed his transfer as essential to free up funds for additional spending; instead there was a unsuccessful effort to keep him. This resulted in the team started the campaign amid a sense of frustration even with the acquisitions of several new players. The opening was mixed: one win in their first six fixtures.

But it seemed a corner was reached. They secured five in six prior to the weekend, a run that featured 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 maybe is that Newcastle’s style is very aggressive, very high-octane; a slight drop-off in intensity can have significant effects. Perhaps the strain of Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup matches, five games in 15 days, had taken its toll. Woltemade featured in all five matches and appeared particularly weary.

The Nature of Contemporary Soccer

This is the reality of today's the sport. Managers must be ready to rotate. The manager has been unlucky 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 unacceptable –particularly after scoring first at a stadium primed to turn on its own side.

The Newcastle boss will wish it was just a blip, one of those days when all players is below par at once, but if Newcastle are to qualify for the European competition in the future, let alone one day launch an genuine championship bid, they must not be as inconsistent as this.