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Eddie Howe isn't typically given to dramatics or sweeping media statements. So by his usual demeanor, his media briefing following the weekend's loss to West Ham qualifies as a angry tirade. His side took an early lead but West Ham were ahead by half-time, as well as striking the woodwork and having a penalty revoked by VAR, prompting Howe to execute a three substitutions at the half-time.

“The opening period was particularly irritating,” Howe stated. “Virtually any player could have been substituted and I believe this indicated of where we were at that stage during the match and it's extremely uncommon for me to have that impression. Actually, I don’t think having done so during my tenure as head coach of the club, therefore I believed the squad needed some shaking up at the break. This explains why I made those decisions.”

Anthony Gordon, Nick Woltemade and Emil Krafth all came off at the interval and Newcastle did stabilise to an extent in the latter period, without ever really looking like they might fight back into the game against an opponent that had won only one of their last nine fixtures. Given the congestion the centre of the table is, with just three points dividing third from 11th, and nine points between the upper and lower ranks, a run of 12 points from ten matches has not left Newcastle adrift but, similarly, they cannot finish the season in thirteenth place.

The Problem of Perception

The problem to an extent is one of perception. With the Saudi PIF, the club possess the richest backers in the globe. The assumption when the PIF bought a majority stake of the club in 2021 was that it would have a transformative effect, similar to the former Chelsea owner achieved at Stamford Bridge or Sheikh Mansour had at Manchester City. The difference is that both of those owners assumed control before the advent of financial fair play regulations (and the current charges against Manchester City concern whether they violated those regulations after they were in place).

Financial regulations limit the ability of owners, however rich, to spend money on their squads and therefore likely would have slowed every Saudi effort to elevate the team to the level of Manchester City. However it wasn't necessary for the club's spending to have been quite as cautious as it has; they might have invested further and remained within the limit – or simply taken a fairly minor Uefa penalty given their big problem is more with the continental than the Premier League regulation.

Stadium Investment and Financial Regulations

Additionally, infrastructure spending is excluded from PSR calculations; the easiest way to increase revenue to generate more financial headroom would be to expand or redevelop the arena. Considering the location of St James’ Park, with listed buildings on two sides, in reality that likely means constructing an completely new stadium. There was talk in spring of potentially undertaking the nearby relocation to Leazes Park – resistance from local groups could surely have been surmounted with a promise to create a new park on the current stadium site – but there has been no movement on that plan. There has been substantial cutbacks from the Saudi fund on a variety of projects as it refocuses on local investments; the approach to the football club seems completely in keeping with that change of approach.

The Alexander Isak Situation

The Alexander Isak episode was born of that conflict. A bolder leadership might have portrayed his transfer as necessary to release capital for additional investment; rather there was a unsuccessful attempt to keep him. This resulted in Newcastle began the season amidst a sense of frustration even with the acquisitions of several new players. The start was indifferent: a single victory in their first six fixtures.

But it appeared a turning point had been turned. They had won five victories in six matches before the weekend, a run that featured demolitions of Union Saint-Gilloise and a Portuguese club in the Champions League. That’s why the performance against West Ham was such a shock. The issue maybe is that Newcastle’s approach is extremely intense, very high-octane; a minor decrease in intensity can have significant effects. Maybe the pressure of domestic, Champions League and Carabao Cup matches, five fixtures in a fortnight, had got to them. Woltemade featured in all five matches and appeared particularly weary.

The Nature of Modern Football

This is the reality of modern football. Coaches have to be ready to make changes. Howe has been unfortunate that the forward's fitness issue has meant he is short of attacking options but, no matter how reasonable the reasons, Sunday’s showing was unacceptable –especially following taking the lead at a ground primed to criticize its own side.

Howe will hope it was just a blip, an off-day when everybody is off-colour simultaneously, but if the Magpies are to qualify for the Champions League next season, let alone one day launch an genuine championship bid, they must not be as inconsistent as this.