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Eddie Howe isn't typically given to histrionics or sweeping media statements. So by his usual demeanor, his media briefing following the weekend's 3-1 defeat qualifies as a furious outburst. His side took an early lead but the opposition took the lead by half-time, as well as striking the woodwork and seeing a spot-kick overturned by VAR, prompting Howe to make a triple change at the half-time.

“That was the frustrating thing about the first half,” 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 very, very rare for me to have that impression. Actually, I cannot recall having done so since I’ve been head coach of Newcastle, so I felt the squad required a significant change at half-time. That’s 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 could get back into the contest against a side that had won only one of their last nine fixtures. Considering how packed the middle of the table currently is, with just three points separating the top spots from mid-table, and a nine-point margin between second and 17th, a run of twelve points from 10 games has not placed Newcastle adrift but, equally, they cannot end the campaign in 13th.

The Issue of Perception

The challenge to an extent is one of public view. With the Saudi PIF, Newcastle possess the wealthiest backers in the globe. The expectation at the time the Saudi fund bought 80% of the club in 2021 was that it would bring a transformative effect, as Roman Abramovich achieved at Stamford Bridge or Sheikh Mansour did at the Etihad. The difference is that those two owners assumed control prior to the introduction of FFP regulations (and the ongoing charges against City relate to if they violated those regulations once they were in place).

Profit and sustainability regulations limit the capacity of proprietors, no matter how wealthy, to invest funds on their teams and so in that sense likely might have hindered any Saudi effort to raise the team to the standard of City. But there is no need for the club's expenditure to have been so restrained as it has; they could have spent more and stayed inside the threshold – or simply taken a fairly minor European penalty given their big issue is more with the European than the domestic rules.

Infrastructure Spending and Financial Rules

Additionally, stadium development is excluded from Profit and Sustainability calculations; the simplest way to increase revenue to generate more financial flexibility would be to expand or redevelop the stadium. Given the location of the home ground, with protected structures on two sides, in reality that likely means constructing an entirely new stadium. There was talk in March of possibly making the short move to Leazes Park – resistance from local groups might have been surmounted with a promise to create a new park on the current ground location – but there has not been any progress on that proposal. There has been significant cutbacks from the PIF on a variety of projects as it shifts focus on local investments; the attitude to Newcastle appears entirely in keeping with that strategic shift.

The Alexander Isak Situation

The star striker episode was arose from that conflict. A bolder management could have framed his sale as necessary to release capital for further investment; instead there was a vain effort to keep him. This resulted in the team began the season amid a sense of disappointment even with the signings of Woltemade, Yoane Wissa, Jacob Ramsey, Malick Thiaw and Anthony Elanga. The opening was mixed: one win in their initial six games.

But it seemed a corner had been turned. They secured five in six prior to the weekend, a streak that included demolitions of Union Saint-Gilloise and a Portuguese club in the European competition. That’s why the performance against the Hammers was such a shock. The issue maybe is that Newcastle’s approach is very aggressive, high-energy; a minor decrease in energy can have profound consequences. Maybe the strain of Premier League, European and cup competition, five fixtures in 15 days, had taken its toll. Woltemade started all five matches and appeared especially weary.

Reality of Modern Soccer

This is the nature of today's football. Managers have to be ready to make changes. Howe has been unfortunate that Wissa’s fitness issue has left him short of forward choices but, regardless of how reasonable the reasons, the weekend's performance was inexcusable –especially after taking the lead at a stadium ready to criticize its own side.

Howe will wish it was just a blip, one of those days when all players is off-colour at once, but if the Magpies are to qualify for the European competition in the future, let alone one day mount an actual championship bid, they cannot be as unreliable as this.