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Eddie Howe is not prone to histrionics or sweeping public pronouncements. Based on his usual demeanor, his press conference following Sunday’s 3-1 defeat counts as a furious tirade. His side took an early lead but the opposition were ahead by the interval, while also striking the woodwork and having a penalty revoked by VAR, prompting Howe to execute a three substitutions at the break.

“That was the frustrating thing about the first half,” the coach said. “Virtually any player could have been substituted and I think this indicated of our performance level in that moment in the game and it's extremely uncommon for me to have that impression. Actually, I cannot recall having done so during my tenure as head coach of Newcastle, so I felt the squad needed some shaking up at the break. This explains why I made those decisions.”

Anthony Gordon, Nick Woltemade and Emil Krafth were substituted at half-time and the team did stabilise somewhat in the second half, without ever appearing like they could get back into the contest against an opponent that had won only one of their last nine fixtures. Considering the congestion the middle of the standings currently is, with just three points dividing the top spots from mid-table, and a nine-point margin between the upper and lower ranks, a sequence of 12 points from 10 games has not placed the Magpies stranded but, equally, they cannot end the campaign in thirteenth place.

The Issue of Expectations

The challenge partially is one of public view. In the Saudi Public Investment Fund, the club possess the richest owners in the world. The expectation at the time the PIF bought 80% of the club in recent years was that it would bring a transformative effect, similar to Roman Abramovich had at Chelsea or Sheikh Mansour did at the Etihad. The difference is that those two investors assumed control prior to the advent of FFP regulations (and the ongoing allegations against City relate to if they breached those guidelines once they were implemented).

Profit and sustainability restrictions limit the ability of owners, no matter how wealthy, to spend money on their teams and so in that sense likely would have slowed any Middle Eastern attempt to elevate the team to the standard of Manchester City. But there is no need for Newcastle’s spending to have been so restrained as it has; they could have spent more and stayed inside the limit – or just accepted a relatively meagre European fine since their big issue is primarily with the European than the domestic rules.

Stadium Investment and Financial Regulations

Additionally, infrastructure spending is excluded from Profit and Sustainability assessments; the simplest method to increase revenue to create more PSR flexibility would be to expand or renovate the stadium. Given the location of St James’ Park, with protected structures on two sides, practically that likely means building an entirely new venue. Rumors circulated in spring of potentially making the short move to Leazes Park – opposition from local groups could surely have been surmounted with a promise to create a new park on the existing stadium site – but there has not been any progress on that plan. There has been substantial retrenchment from the PIF on a range of initiatives as it shifts focus on local investments; the attitude to Newcastle seems entirely in keeping with that change of approach.

Player Sales Situation

The Alexander Isak episode was arose from that tension. A more confident management might have framed his sale as essential to free up funds for additional investment; instead there was a unsuccessful attempt to keep him. This resulted in Newcastle began the season amidst a sense of disappointment even with the acquisitions of several new players. The opening was mixed: a single victory in their first six games.

But it seemed a turning point had been turned. They had won five in six before the weekend, a streak that included convincing wins of Union Saint-Gilloise and Benfica in the Champions League. That’s why the display against the Hammers was so surprising. The issue maybe is that Newcastle’s style is extremely intense, high-energy; a minor decrease in energy can have profound effects. Maybe the strain of domestic, Champions League and cup matches, five fixtures in 15 days, had taken its toll. Woltemade started each of those games and appeared particularly weary.

The Nature of Contemporary Soccer

This is the reality of today's football. Coaches have to be prepared to make changes. The manager has been unlucky that Wissa’s fitness issue has meant he is short of forward choices but, regardless of how valid the explanations, the weekend's showing was inexcusable –especially after taking the lead at a ground ready to criticize its own side.

Howe will hope it was merely a temporary setback, one of those days when everybody is off-colour simultaneously, but if Newcastle are to qualify for the European competition in the future, not to mention one day mount an genuine championship bid, they cannot be as unreliable as they have been.