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The Newcastle manager isn't typically prone to dramatics or grand public statements. Based on his standards, his press conference following Sunday’s loss to West Ham counts as a angry tirade. His side scored first but the opposition were ahead by the interval, as well as hitting the post and having a penalty overturned by VAR, leading Howe to make a triple change at the half-time.

“The opening period was particularly irritating,” the coach said. “I almost could have taken anyone off and I believe that was a reflection of where we were in that moment in the game and it's extremely uncommon for me to have that impression. Actually, I cannot recall I have during my tenure as manager of the club, so I felt the team required some shaking up at the break. This explains why I made what I did.”

Anthony Gordon, Nick Woltemade and Emil Krafth were substituted at half-time and the team managed to steady to an extent in the latter period, but never really looking like they might fight back into the game against an opponent that had won only one of their last nine fixtures. Considering how packed the middle of the standings currently is, with just three points separating third from 11th, and nine points between second and 17th, a sequence of twelve points from 10 games has not placed Newcastle adrift but, similarly, they cannot finish the season in 13th.

The Problem of Perception

The problem to an extent is one of public view. With the Saudi PIF, Newcastle possess the wealthiest owners in the globe. The expectation when the Saudi fund acquired a majority stake of the club in 2021 was that it would have a transformative effect, similar to the former Chelsea owner had at Chelsea or the City Group did at the Etihad. The difference is that both of those owners took over before the introduction of financial fair play regulations (while the current charges against City concern if they breached those guidelines after they were implemented).

Profit and sustainability regulations limit the capacity of owners, no matter how wealthy, to spend money on their teams and so in that sense probably would have hindered every Saudi effort to raise the team to the level of City. However it wasn't necessary for Newcastle’s expenditure to have been quite as cautious as it has been; they might have invested further and remained within the threshold – or just accepted a fairly minor European penalty given their big issue is primarily with the European than the domestic regulation.

Stadium Investment and PSR Regulations

Besides which, stadium development is excluded from PSR calculations; the simplest method to raise income to generate additional financial flexibility would be to extend or redevelop the arena. Considering the location of St James’ Park, with protected structures on two sides, in reality that probably implies building an completely new venue. Rumors circulated in spring of potentially making the short move to a local park – opposition from community organizations could surely have been overcome with a promise to create a replacement green space on the existing ground location – but there has been no movement on that plan. There has occurred substantial retrenchment from the PIF on a range of projects as it refocuses on local investments; the approach to the football club seems entirely in alignment with that strategic shift.

Player Sales Saga

The star striker episode was arose from that tension. A more confident leadership might have portrayed his transfer as essential to free up capital for additional spending; rather there was a vain attempt to keep him. This resulted in Newcastle started the campaign amid a feeling of disappointment even with the acquisitions of Woltemade, Yoane Wissa, Jacob Ramsey, Malick Thiaw and Anthony Elanga. The opening was indifferent: one win in their first six games.

Yet it appeared a corner was reached. They secured five victories in six matches prior to the weekend, a run that featured convincing wins of Union Saint-Gilloise and a Portuguese club in the Champions League. This explains the performance against West Ham was so surprising. The problem perhaps is that the team's style is very aggressive, high-energy; a slight drop-off in intensity can have significant consequences. Perhaps the pressure of domestic, European and cup matches, five fixtures in a fortnight, had taken its toll. The German forward featured in each of those games and appeared especially weary.

Reality of Contemporary Football

That’s the nature of modern the sport. Managers have to be prepared to rotate. Howe has been unlucky that the forward's injury has left him short of forward choices but, no matter how valid the reasons, the weekend's showing was unacceptable –particularly following scoring first at a ground ready to turn on its own side.

The Newcastle boss will hope it was merely a temporary setback, one of those days when all players is below par simultaneously, but if the Magpies are to qualify for the European competition in the future, let alone eventually mount an actual championship bid, they must not be as unreliable as this.