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Eddie Howe isn't typically prone to histrionics or sweeping media statements. Based on his standards, his press conference after Sunday’s 3-1 defeat counts as a angry outburst. Newcastle scored first but the opposition were ahead by the interval, 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.

“The opening period was particularly irritating,” the coach said. “Virtually any player could have been substituted and I believe this indicated of our performance level at that stage in the game and it's extremely uncommon for me to have that impression. In fact, I don’t think I have during my tenure as head coach of the club, therefore I believed the squad needed some shaking up at the break. That’s why I made what I did.”

Anthony Gordon, Nick Woltemade and Emil Krafth all came off at half-time and Newcastle managed to steady to an extent in the latter period, without ever appearing like they might get back into the contest against a side that had secured just a single victory of their last nine league matches. Considering how packed the middle of the standings currently is, with just three points dividing the top spots from mid-table, and a nine-point margin between second and 17th, a run of twelve points from ten matches has not placed Newcastle adrift but, similarly, they must not end the campaign in thirteenth place.

The Issue of Expectations

The problem to an extent is one of perception. With the Saudi PIF, Newcastle possess the wealthiest owners in the globe. The expectation at the time the PIF bought a majority stake of the team in 2021 was that it would have a transformative effect, as Roman Abramovich achieved at Stamford Bridge or Sheikh Mansour had at Manchester City. The difference is that those two owners took over before the advent of financial fair play rules (while the current allegations against Manchester City concern whether they violated those regulations once they were in place).

Financial restrictions limit the capacity of proprietors, no matter how wealthy, to spend money on their teams and so in that sense probably would have hindered every Saudi attempt to raise Newcastle to the standard of Manchester City. But it wasn't necessary for the club's expenditure to have been so restrained as it has been; they could have invested further and remained within the limit – or simply taken a relatively meagre Uefa penalty given their big problem is more with the European than the Premier League regulation.

Infrastructure Investment and Financial Regulations

Besides which, stadium development is exempted from PSR assessments; the easiest way to raise income to create more financial headroom would be to expand or renovate the stadium. Considering the location of St James’ Park, with protected structures on two sides, practically that probably implies building an completely new venue. Rumors circulated in spring of potentially undertaking the short move to a local park – opposition from local groups could surely have been overcome with a commitment to create a replacement green space on the current ground location – but there has been no movement on that proposal. There has been substantial retrenchment from the Saudi fund on a range of initiatives as it shifts focus on local investments; the approach to Newcastle seems completely in keeping with that strategic shift.

Player Sales Saga

The star striker saga was arose from that tension. A more confident management might have framed his sale as necessary to release funds for further spending; rather there was a vain attempt to keep him. That meant the team began the season amid a feeling of frustration even with the acquisitions of several new players. The opening was indifferent: one win in their first six games.

Yet it appeared a turning point had been turned. They secured five in six before the weekend, a streak that included convincing wins of a Belgian side and a Portuguese club in the Champions League. That’s why the display against the Hammers was such a shock. The issue maybe is that Newcastle’s style is very aggressive, high-energy; a slight drop-off in energy can have profound consequences. Maybe the strain of Premier League, Champions League and cup competition, five games in a fortnight, had taken its toll. The German forward featured in all five matches and looked especially fatigued.

Reality of Contemporary Football

This is the reality of modern the sport. Coaches must be prepared to make changes. The manager has been unlucky that the forward's injury has left him lacking attacking options but, no matter how valid the reasons, the weekend's performance was unacceptable –especially following taking the lead at a ground primed to turn on its own side.

Howe will hope it was merely a temporary setback, one of those days when all players is off-colour at once, but if Newcastle are to secure the European competition next season, let alone eventually mount an actual championship bid, they must not be as inconsistent as this.