🔗 Share this article

Eddie Howe isn't typically given to dramatics or grand media pronouncements. Based on his standards, his media briefing after the weekend's 3-1 defeat counts as a furious tirade. Newcastle scored first but West Ham were ahead by half-time, while also striking the woodwork and seeing a spot-kick overturned by VAR, leading Howe to make 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 don’t think having done so during my tenure as head coach of Newcastle, so I felt the team required a significant change at the break. This explains why I did what I did.”

Anthony Gordon, Nick Woltemade and Emil Krafth all came off at the interval 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 previous nine league matches. Given how packed the middle of the table is, with just three points separating third from 11th, and nine points between second and 17th, a sequence of twelve points from ten matches has not placed Newcastle stranded but, similarly, they must not end the campaign in 13th.

The Issue of Perception

The problem partially is one of public view. In the Saudi Public Investment Fund, the club have the wealthiest backers in the world. The assumption at the time the PIF bought 80% of the club in recent years was that it would bring a game-changing impact, as Roman Abramovich had at Chelsea or Sheikh Mansour did at the Etihad. The difference is that both of those investors took over prior to the advent of FFP regulations (and the current charges against City concern whether they breached those guidelines once they were implemented).

Profit and sustainability restrictions limit the ability of proprietors, however rich, to invest funds on their teams and therefore likely might have hindered every Saudi attempt to raise Newcastle to the level of City. But there is no need for the club's spending to have been so restrained as it has been; they might have spent more and stayed inside the limit – or just accepted a fairly minor Uefa fine given their major issue is more with the continental than the domestic regulation.

Stadium Investment and PSR Regulations

Additionally, infrastructure spending is exempted from Profit and Sustainability assessments; the simplest method to raise income to create more PSR flexibility would be to extend or redevelop the stadium. Given the location of the home ground, with protected structures on multiple sides, practically that likely means constructing an entirely new stadium. There was talk in March of possibly undertaking the nearby relocation to a local park – resistance from local groups might have been surmounted with a promise to build a new park on the existing stadium site – but there has not been any progress on that proposal. There has occurred significant cutbacks from the Saudi fund on a variety of projects as it shifts focus on local investments; the approach to Newcastle seems completely in keeping with that change of approach.

Player Sales Situation

The Alexander Isak saga was born of that conflict. A bolder management could have portrayed his transfer as essential to release funds for further spending; rather there was a vain attempt to retain him. This resulted in Newcastle started the campaign amid a sense of disappointment despite the acquisitions of Woltemade, Yoane Wissa, Jacob Ramsey, Malick Thiaw and Anthony Elanga. The opening was indifferent: one win in their initial six fixtures.

Yet it appeared a corner was reached. They secured five victories in six matches prior to the weekend, a run that featured demolitions of a Belgian side and Benfica in the Champions League. This explains the display against West Ham was such a shock. The issue maybe is that Newcastle’s style is extremely intense, 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. Woltemade started all five games and appeared particularly weary.

The Nature of Modern Soccer

This is the reality of today's the sport. Coaches must be ready to make changes. Howe has been unfortunate that the forward's fitness issue has meant he is short of forward choices but, regardless of how valid the reasons, the weekend's showing was unacceptable –especially after taking the lead at a ground ready to turn on its home team.

Howe will wish it was just a blip, one of those days when everybody is off-colour simultaneously, but if Newcastle are to secure the Champions League next season, let alone one day launch an actual championship bid, they cannot be as inconsistent as this.