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The Newcastle manager isn't typically prone to dramatics or grand media statements. Based on his usual demeanor, his press conference following the weekend's loss to West Ham counts as a furious outburst. Newcastle scored first but West Ham took the lead by half-time, as well as hitting the post and seeing a spot-kick revoked by VAR, prompting Howe to execute a three substitutions at the half-time.

“That was the frustrating thing about the first half,” Howe said. “I almost could have taken anyone off and I believe this indicated of where we were in that moment during the match and it’s very, very rare for me to feel that way. Actually, I don’t think I have since I’ve been head coach of the club, therefore I believed the team needed a significant change at the break. That’s why I made those decisions.”

Three key players were substituted at half-time and Newcastle managed to steady to an extent in the latter period, but never really looking like they could fight back into the game against an opponent that had secured just a single victory of their last nine league matches. Considering the congestion the middle of the standings currently is, with just three points separating the top spots from mid-table, and a nine-point margin between the upper and lower ranks, a run of twelve points from 10 games has not left the Magpies stranded but, equally, they must not finish the season in 13th.

The Issue of Perception

The problem partially is one of public view. With the Saudi PIF, the club possess the wealthiest owners in the world. The expectation when the Saudi fund bought a majority stake of the club in 2021 was that it would have a game-changing impact, similar to Roman Abramovich had at Chelsea or Sheikh Mansour did at the Etihad. The difference is that both of those owners took over before the advent of financial fair play regulations (and the ongoing allegations against City concern whether they breached those guidelines after they were implemented).

Profit and sustainability restrictions limit the capacity of proprietors, however rich, to invest funds on their teams and so in that sense probably would have hindered every Saudi attempt to raise the team to the standard of City. However there is no need for Newcastle’s spending to have been so restrained as it has been; they might have spent more and remained within the threshold – or just accepted a fairly minor Uefa penalty since their big issue is more with the European than the Premier League regulation.

Infrastructure Investment and Financial Rules

Additionally, stadium development is exempted from Profit and Sustainability calculations; the simplest method to increase revenue to create more PSR flexibility would be to expand or renovate the stadium. Considering the location of the home ground, with protected structures on multiple sides, practically that probably implies building an entirely new stadium. There was talk in March of potentially undertaking the nearby relocation to a local park – opposition from community organizations could surely have been surmounted with a promise to create a replacement green space on the existing stadium site – but there has not been any progress on that plan. There has occurred significant cutbacks from the PIF on a variety of projects as it refocuses on domestic affairs; the approach to Newcastle appears completely in alignment with that strategic shift.

The Alexander Isak Situation

The star striker saga was born of that conflict. A bolder management could have framed his sale as necessary to free up funds for additional investment; instead there was a vain effort to retain him. This resulted in Newcastle began the season amid a feeling of disappointment even with the signings of several new players. The start was mixed: a single victory in their first six games.

But it appeared a turning point had been turned. They had won five victories in six matches prior to the weekend, a run that featured convincing wins of a Belgian side and Benfica in the Champions League. That’s why the performance against West Ham was such a shock. The problem perhaps is that Newcastle’s style is very aggressive, very high-octane; a minor decrease in intensity can have significant consequences. Perhaps the strain of domestic, European and cup matches, five fixtures in a fortnight, had taken its toll. The German forward started all five matches and appeared especially fatigued.

Reality of Contemporary Soccer

That’s the reality of today's the sport. Managers must be prepared to make changes. Howe has been unfortunate that Wissa’s fitness issue has meant he is short of attacking options but, regardless of how valid the explanations, Sunday’s performance was unacceptable –especially after taking the lead at a stadium primed to turn on its home team.

Howe will wish it was just a blip, one of those days when everybody is below par simultaneously, but if Newcastle are to qualify for the European competition next season, not to mention eventually launch an actual championship bid, they must not be as inconsistent as they have been.