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Eddie Howe isn't typically prone to dramatics or grand media pronouncements. So by his usual demeanor, his press conference after Sunday’s loss to West Ham counts as a furious tirade. Newcastle scored first but the opposition took the lead by half-time, while also striking the woodwork and having a penalty revoked by VAR, prompting Howe to make a three substitutions at the half-time.

“The opening period was particularly irritating,” the coach said. “I almost could have taken anyone off and I believe this indicated of our performance level at that stage during the match and it's extremely uncommon for me to feel that way. Actually, I cannot recall I have during my tenure as head coach of the club, therefore I believed the team required a significant change at half-time. This explains why I made what I did.”

Three key players all came off at the interval and the team managed to steady to an extent in the latter period, but never really looking like they could fight back into the contest against a side that had secured just a single victory of their previous nine fixtures. Given the congestion the centre of the standings is, with just three points separating third from 11th, and a nine-point margin between the upper and lower ranks, a run of twelve points from 10 games has not placed the Magpies adrift but, similarly, they must not end the campaign in 13th.

The Issue of Expectations

The challenge to an extent is one of public view. With the Saudi PIF, Newcastle possess the richest backers in the world. The assumption when the PIF acquired 80% of the club in 2021 was that it would bring a transformative effect, similar to the former Chelsea owner achieved at Stamford Bridge or Sheikh Mansour did at the Etihad. The difference is that those two investors took over before the advent of financial fair play regulations (and the current allegations against City relate to whether they violated those regulations after they were implemented).

Financial restrictions limit the capacity of owners, no matter how wealthy, to invest funds on their squads and so in that sense probably might have hindered every Saudi attempt to raise Newcastle to the standard of City. But it wasn't necessary for Newcastle’s spending to have been so restrained as it has been; they could have invested further and stayed inside the limit – or just accepted a relatively meagre Uefa fine given their major problem is more with the European than the domestic rules.

Infrastructure Spending and Financial Regulations

Additionally, stadium development is exempted from PSR assessments; the simplest way to increase revenue to generate more financial headroom would be to extend or redevelop the stadium. Considering the site of the home ground, with protected structures on multiple sides, practically that probably implies building an entirely new venue. There was talk in spring of potentially making the short move to a local park – opposition from local groups might have been overcome with a promise to create a replacement green space on the existing ground location – but there has not been any progress on that proposal. There has been substantial retrenchment from the Saudi fund on a variety of projects as it shifts focus on local investments; the attitude to the football club appears completely in keeping with that strategic shift.

Player Sales Saga

The star striker saga was born of that tension. A more confident management could have framed his sale as necessary to free up capital for additional investment; rather there was a vain effort to retain him. That meant Newcastle began the season amidst a feeling of disappointment despite the acquisitions of several new players. The opening was mixed: a single victory in their first six games.

But it seemed a turning point had been turned. They secured five in six prior to the weekend, a run that featured convincing wins of a Belgian side and a Portuguese club in the Champions League. This explains the performance against the Hammers was such a shock. The issue maybe is that Newcastle’s style is very aggressive, very high-octane; a minor decrease in intensity can have profound consequences. Maybe the pressure of domestic, Champions League and Carabao Cup matches, five fixtures in a fortnight, had got to them. The German forward started each of those matches and appeared especially weary.

Reality of Modern Soccer

That’s the reality of today's the sport. Coaches have to be prepared to rotate. Howe has been unfortunate that the forward's injury has left him short of attacking options but, regardless of how reasonable the explanations, the weekend's performance was unacceptable –particularly after scoring first at a stadium primed to criticize its home team.

Howe will wish it was just a blip, one of those days when everybody is off-colour simultaneously, but if the Magpies are to secure the Champions League next season, not to mention eventually launch an genuine title challenge, they cannot be as unreliable as this.