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The Newcastle manager is not given to dramatics or sweeping media statements. Based on his usual demeanor, his media briefing after Sunday’s 3-1 defeat counts as a furious outburst. Newcastle scored first but West Ham were ahead by half-time, as well as hitting the post and seeing a spot-kick revoked by VAR, prompting 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 think this indicated of our performance level at that stage during the match and it’s very, very rare for me to feel that way. Actually, I don’t think having done so since I’ve been manager of the club, so I felt the team required a significant change at half-time. That’s why I did those decisions.”

Anthony Gordon, Nick Woltemade and Emil Krafth all came off at half-time and Newcastle did stabilise somewhat in the second half, but never appearing like they could fight back into the game against a side that had secured just a single victory of their last nine league matches. Considering the congestion the centre of the standings currently is, with just three points separating the top spots from mid-table, and nine points between the upper and lower ranks, a run of 12 points from 10 games has not left Newcastle adrift but, equally, they must not end the campaign in 13th.

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 club in recent years was that it would have a transformative effect, as the former Chelsea owner achieved at Stamford Bridge or the City Group had at Manchester City. The distinction is that both of those owners took over prior to the advent of financial fair play regulations (and the current allegations against City relate to whether they breached those regulations once they were implemented).

Profit and sustainability regulations restrict the ability of proprietors, no matter how wealthy, to spend money on their teams and so in that sense probably might have slowed any Middle Eastern effort to raise Newcastle to the standard of City. However it wasn't necessary for the club's expenditure to have been quite as cautious as it has been; they could have spent more and stayed inside the threshold – or just accepted a relatively meagre Uefa penalty since their big problem is more with the European than the Premier League rules.

Stadium Spending and PSR Regulations

Besides which, infrastructure spending is exempted from Profit and Sustainability calculations; the easiest way to raise income to create more PSR flexibility would be to expand or renovate the arena. Considering the location of the home ground, with listed buildings on multiple sides, in reality that probably means constructing an completely new stadium. Rumors circulated in spring of potentially undertaking the nearby relocation to a local park – resistance from community organizations could surely have been surmounted with a promise to build a new park on the current stadium site – but there has not been any progress on that plan. There has been significant cutbacks from the Saudi fund on a range of initiatives as it refocuses on local investments; the approach to Newcastle appears completely in alignment with that change of approach.

The Alexander Isak Saga

The star striker saga was arose from that conflict. A more confident leadership could have portrayed his sale as essential to release funds for additional investment; instead there was a vain effort to retain him. This resulted in Newcastle began the season amid a feeling of frustration despite the signings of several new players. The start was mixed: a single victory in their first six games.

But it appeared a corner 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 performance against the Hammers was so surprising. The issue perhaps is that the team's approach is very aggressive, high-energy; a slight drop-off in energy can have profound effects. Maybe the strain of Premier League, European and cup competition, five games in 15 days, had taken its toll. The German forward started all five matches and looked especially fatigued.

The Nature of Modern Football

This is the reality of today's football. Managers have to be prepared to rotate. The manager has been unlucky that the forward's injury has meant he is short of attacking options but, regardless of how valid the explanations, the weekend's performance was unacceptable –especially after scoring first 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 below par simultaneously, but if the Magpies are to secure the Champions League in the future, let alone eventually launch an actual championship bid, they must not be as unreliable as they have been.