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Eddie Howe is not given to dramatics or sweeping media pronouncements. Based on his usual demeanor, his press conference following Sunday’s 3-1 defeat counts as a angry tirade. His side scored first but the opposition were ahead by half-time, while also striking the woodwork and having a penalty overturned by VAR, leading Howe to execute a triple change at the break.

“The opening period was particularly irritating,” the coach said. “I almost could have taken anyone off and I think this indicated of where we were at that stage in the game and it’s very, very rare for me to feel that way. Actually, I cannot recall I have since I’ve been manager of the club, so I felt the team required some shaking up at half-time. That’s why I made those decisions.”

Three key players all came off at half-time and the team managed to steady to an extent in the latter period, but never really looking like they could get back into the game against an opponent that had secured just a single victory of their previous nine league matches. Given the congestion the centre of the table is, with just three points dividing the top spots from mid-table, and a nine-point margin between second and 17th, a run of 12 points from 10 games has not left the Magpies stranded but, equally, they cannot end the campaign in thirteenth place.

The Problem of Expectations

The challenge partially is one of perception. With the Saudi PIF, Newcastle possess the wealthiest backers in the world. The assumption when the Saudi fund acquired 80% of the team in recent years was that it would bring a game-changing impact, similar to Roman Abramovich achieved at Stamford Bridge or the City Group had at Manchester City. The distinction is that both of those owners took over before the advent of financial fair play rules (while the ongoing charges against City concern if they breached those guidelines after they were in place).

Financial restrictions restrict the capacity of owners, no matter how wealthy, to spend money on their squads and therefore likely might have hindered any Middle Eastern attempt to raise the team to the level of City. But there is no need for Newcastle’s spending to have been quite as cautious as it has; they might have spent more and remained within the threshold – or simply taken a relatively meagre Uefa fine since their major issue is primarily with the continental than the Premier League regulation.

Infrastructure Spending and Financial Regulations

Besides which, stadium development is exempted from PSR calculations; the easiest method to increase revenue to generate more PSR flexibility would be to expand or redevelop the arena. Considering the site of the home ground, with listed buildings on multiple sides, in reality that probably means constructing an completely new stadium. There was talk in spring of potentially undertaking the nearby relocation to a local park – opposition from local groups might have been surmounted with a promise to build a replacement green space on the current stadium site – but there has been no movement on that proposal. There has been substantial retrenchment from the Saudi fund on a variety of projects as it refocuses on local investments; the attitude to Newcastle appears completely in keeping with that strategic shift.

Player Sales Saga

The Alexander Isak saga was born of that tension. A bolder management could have framed his sale as essential to free up funds for further investment; instead there was a vain effort to retain him. That meant the team began the season amid a sense of frustration even with the signings of several new players. The start was indifferent: one win in their first six games.

Yet it appeared a corner was reached. They had won five victories in six matches before the weekend, a run that included demolitions of Union Saint-Gilloise and Benfica in the European competition. That’s why the display against West Ham was such a shock. The issue maybe is that Newcastle’s style is very aggressive, very high-octane; a slight drop-off in energy can have profound consequences. Perhaps the pressure of Premier League, European and cup competition, five games in 15 days, had taken its toll. The German forward featured in all five matches and appeared particularly fatigued.

The Nature of Modern Football

This is the reality of today's the sport. Coaches must be ready to rotate. The manager has been unfortunate that the forward's fitness issue has left him short of attacking options but, regardless of how reasonable the reasons, the weekend's performance was inexcusable –especially following scoring first at a stadium primed to turn on its own side.

The Newcastle boss will hope it was just a blip, one of those days when everybody is below par simultaneously, but if Newcastle are to secure the European competition next season, not to mention eventually launch an genuine title challenge, they must not be as unreliable as this.