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The Newcastle manager is not given to dramatics or grand media statements. Based on his standards, his media briefing following the weekend's loss to West Ham qualifies as a furious outburst. His side scored first but the opposition were ahead by the interval, while also striking the woodwork and seeing a spot-kick overturned by VAR, leading Howe to make a three substitutions at the break.

“The opening period was particularly irritating,” Howe stated. “Virtually any player could have been substituted and I believe this indicated of where we were in that moment during the match and it’s very, very rare for me to feel that way. Actually, I cannot recall having done so since I’ve been head coach of the club, so I felt the squad required some shaking up at the break. This explains why I did those decisions.”

Three key players were substituted at the interval and the team did stabilise somewhat in the second half, but never really looking like they could get back into the game against a side that had secured just a single victory of their previous nine fixtures. Considering the congestion the middle of the standings currently is, with just three points dividing the top spots from mid-table, and nine points between the upper and lower ranks, a run of 12 points from 10 games has not placed Newcastle stranded but, equally, they must not end the campaign in 13th.

The Problem of Perception

The problem partially is one of perception. With the Saudi PIF, Newcastle have the richest owners in the globe. The expectation when the Saudi fund bought 80% of the club in 2021 was that it would bring a game-changing impact, as the former Chelsea owner achieved at Stamford Bridge or the City Group had at Manchester City. The difference is that both of those investors took over before the advent of FFP rules (and the current allegations against City relate to if they breached those guidelines after they were in place).

Profit and sustainability restrictions limit the ability of proprietors, no matter how wealthy, to invest funds on their squads and so in that sense likely might have slowed every Middle Eastern effort 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 just accepted a relatively meagre European penalty since their big problem is primarily with the continental than the domestic regulation.

Stadium Investment and PSR Regulations

Besides which, infrastructure spending is exempted from Profit and Sustainability calculations; the simplest way to raise income to generate more PSR flexibility would be to extend or redevelop the stadium. Given the site of St James’ Park, with listed buildings on multiple sides, practically that probably implies building an entirely new stadium. There was talk in March of possibly undertaking the nearby relocation to a local park – opposition from local groups 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 substantial retrenchment from the PIF on a range of projects as it refocuses on local investments; the attitude to Newcastle seems entirely in keeping with that change of approach.

The Alexander Isak Saga

The Alexander Isak saga was born of that tension. A more confident leadership could have portrayed his sale as essential to release capital for further spending; rather there was a unsuccessful attempt to retain him. That meant the team started the campaign amid a feeling of disappointment even with the signings of Woltemade, Yoane Wissa, Jacob Ramsey, Malick Thiaw and Anthony Elanga. The opening was mixed: a single victory in their initial six fixtures.

Yet it seemed a corner had been turned. They had won five in six before Sunday, a run that featured convincing wins of Union Saint-Gilloise and a Portuguese club in the European competition. This explains the display against the Hammers was so surprising. The problem maybe is that Newcastle’s approach is extremely intense, very high-octane; a slight drop-off in intensity can have profound consequences. Maybe the strain of Premier League, European and Carabao Cup matches, five fixtures in 15 days, had taken its toll. Woltemade featured in all five matches and appeared particularly fatigued.

Reality of Modern Soccer

That’s the reality of modern football. Managers must be prepared to make changes. Howe has been unlucky that Wissa’s fitness issue has left him lacking attacking options but, regardless of how valid the reasons, Sunday’s showing was inexcusable –especially following scoring first at a ground ready to turn on its home team.

Howe will hope 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 Champions League in the future, let alone one day launch an actual title challenge, they must not be as inconsistent as they have been.