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Eddie Howe is not prone to histrionics or grand public pronouncements. So by his standards, his media briefing after the weekend's 3-1 defeat counts as a furious tirade. Newcastle took an early lead but the opposition took the lead by the interval, as well as hitting the post and seeing a spot-kick overturned by VAR, prompting Howe to make a three substitutions at the break.

“The opening period was particularly irritating,” the coach said. “Virtually any player could have been substituted and I think that was a reflection of where we were in that moment in the game and it's extremely uncommon for me to have that impression. In fact, I cannot recall having done so since I’ve been manager of Newcastle, so I felt the squad needed a significant change at the break. That’s why I made those decisions.”

Anthony Gordon, Nick Woltemade and Emil Krafth all came off at half-time and the team did stabilise somewhat in the second half, without ever really looking like they might fight back into the game against an opponent that had won only one of their last nine fixtures. Given the congestion the middle of the table is, with a mere three-point gap dividing the top spots from mid-table, and nine points between the upper and lower ranks, a sequence of 12 points from 10 games has not left Newcastle stranded but, equally, they cannot end the campaign in thirteenth place.

The Issue of Expectations

The challenge to an extent is one of perception. With the Saudi PIF, Newcastle have the richest owners in the globe. The assumption at the time the Saudi fund bought a majority stake of the team in recent years was that it would bring a transformative effect, as Roman Abramovich had at Chelsea or the City Group did at the Etihad. The distinction is that both of those owners assumed control prior to the introduction of FFP rules (and the ongoing allegations against City concern whether they breached those guidelines after they were in place).

Profit and sustainability restrictions limit the capacity of proprietors, no matter how wealthy, to spend money on their teams and so in that sense likely would have slowed every Saudi attempt to elevate the team to the level of Manchester City. But it wasn't necessary for Newcastle’s spending to have been so restrained as it has been; they could have spent more and remained within the limit – or just accepted a fairly minor European fine given their major issue is more with the European than the domestic rules.

Stadium Investment and Financial Regulations

Additionally, stadium development is exempted from Profit and Sustainability assessments; the easiest method to increase revenue to generate more PSR flexibility would be to expand or renovate the stadium. Given the location of St James’ Park, with protected structures on multiple sides, in reality that likely implies constructing an entirely new venue. There was talk in March of possibly undertaking the short move to a local park – resistance from local groups might have been overcome with a promise to create a replacement green space on the existing stadium site – but there has been no movement on that plan. There has occurred substantial retrenchment from the PIF on a variety of projects as it shifts focus on domestic affairs; the approach to the football club seems entirely in keeping with that change of approach.

The Alexander Isak Saga

The Alexander Isak saga was born of that conflict. A more confident management could have framed his sale as necessary to free up funds for further spending; instead there was a unsuccessful attempt to keep him. That meant Newcastle started the campaign amid a feeling of disappointment despite the signings of Woltemade, Yoane Wissa, Jacob Ramsey, Malick Thiaw and Anthony Elanga. The start was mixed: one win in their initial six fixtures.

Yet it seemed a turning point had been turned. They secured five in six before Sunday, a run that featured convincing wins of Union Saint-Gilloise and Benfica in the Champions League. That’s why the display against the Hammers was so surprising. The problem perhaps is that the team's style is very aggressive, very high-octane; a slight drop-off in energy can have profound effects. Maybe the strain of Premier League, European and Carabao Cup matches, five fixtures in a fortnight, had taken its toll. The German forward featured in each of those matches and appeared especially fatigued.

The Nature of Contemporary Football

This is the reality of today's football. Coaches have to be ready to rotate. The manager has been unlucky that the forward's fitness issue has left him lacking forward choices but, no matter how reasonable the explanations, the weekend's performance was inexcusable –especially following scoring first at a ground primed to criticize its home team.

The Newcastle boss will hope it was merely a temporary setback, one of those days when everybody is below par simultaneously, but if Newcastle are to qualify for the Champions League next season, not to mention eventually launch an genuine title challenge, they must not be as inconsistent as they have been.