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Eddie Howe isn't typically given to histrionics or sweeping media pronouncements. Based on his standards, 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, as well as striking the woodwork and having a penalty revoked by VAR, leading Howe to make a three substitutions at the break.

“The opening period was particularly irritating,” the coach stated. “I almost could have taken anyone off 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 during my tenure as manager of the club, so I felt the squad required some shaking up at the break. That’s why I made what I did.”

Anthony Gordon, Nick Woltemade and Emil Krafth were substituted at the interval and Newcastle did stabilise to an extent in the second half, without ever appearing like they might get back into the game against a side that had won only one of their previous nine fixtures. Considering how packed the middle of the standings currently is, with a mere three-point gap dividing the top spots from mid-table, and nine points between second and 17th, a run of 12 points from 10 games has not placed Newcastle stranded but, similarly, they cannot finish the season in thirteenth place.

The Problem of Expectations

The challenge partially is one of public view. With the Saudi PIF, Newcastle possess the richest backers in the world. The assumption when the Saudi fund acquired 80% of the team in recent years was that it would bring a game-changing impact, similar to Roman Abramovich had at Chelsea or the City Group had at Manchester City. The distinction is that both of those investors took over prior to the advent of financial fair play rules (while the ongoing charges against Manchester City concern if they violated those guidelines once they were implemented).

Financial restrictions restrict the capacity of owners, however rich, to spend money on their squads and so in that sense probably would have slowed every Saudi effort to raise Newcastle to the level of Manchester City. But there is no need for Newcastle’s expenditure to have been quite as cautious as it has; they might have invested further and remained within the limit – or simply taken a relatively meagre European penalty since their big issue is more with the European than the domestic regulation.

Infrastructure Spending and PSR Regulations

Besides which, infrastructure spending is excluded from Profit and Sustainability calculations; the simplest way to raise income to create more financial headroom would be to expand or renovate the arena. Given the location of the home ground, with listed buildings on multiple sides, in reality that probably means building an entirely new venue. Rumors circulated in March of potentially making the nearby relocation to Leazes Park – opposition from community organizations could surely have been surmounted with a commitment to build a new park on the current stadium site – but there has been any progress on that plan. There has occurred substantial cutbacks from the PIF on a range of projects as it shifts focus on domestic affairs; the approach to the football club seems entirely in keeping with that change of approach.

Player Sales Situation

The star striker saga was arose from that conflict. A more confident management might have portrayed his sale as essential to free up funds for further spending; rather there was a unsuccessful effort to keep him. This resulted in the team began the season amid a feeling of disappointment despite the acquisitions of Woltemade, Yoane Wissa, Jacob Ramsey, Malick Thiaw and Anthony Elanga. The opening was mixed: one win in their first six fixtures.

Yet it seemed a turning point was reached. They secured five victories in six matches before Sunday, a run that included demolitions of a Belgian side and a Portuguese club in the Champions League. This explains the display against the Hammers was such a shock. The problem perhaps is that Newcastle’s style is extremely intense, very high-octane; a slight drop-off in energy can have significant effects. Perhaps the strain of Premier League, Champions League and cup competition, five games in a fortnight, had taken its toll. The German forward started all five matches and appeared especially fatigued.

The Nature of Contemporary Soccer

That’s the reality of today's the sport. Managers have to be prepared to rotate. The manager has been unfortunate that the forward's fitness issue has meant he is lacking attacking options but, regardless of how valid the explanations, Sunday’s showing was unacceptable –especially after taking the lead at a ground primed to criticize its home team.

The Newcastle boss will wish it was merely a temporary setback, one of those days when everybody is below par at once, but if Newcastle are to qualify for the European competition next season, not to mention eventually mount an actual title challenge, they must not be as inconsistent as they have been.