🔗 Share this article

Eddie Howe isn't typically prone to dramatics or sweeping public statements. So by his usual demeanor, his press conference after Sunday’s 3-1 defeat counts as a angry tirade. Newcastle scored first but West Ham were ahead by the interval, as well as hitting the post and having a penalty overturned by VAR, leading Howe to execute a three substitutions at the half-time.

“The opening period was particularly irritating,” Howe said. “Virtually any player could have been substituted and I believe this indicated of where we were in that moment in the game and it’s very, very rare for me to have that impression. In fact, I don’t think I have during my tenure as head coach of Newcastle, therefore I believed the team required some shaking up at the break. This explains why I did those decisions.”

Anthony Gordon, Nick Woltemade and Emil Krafth all came off at the interval and the team managed to steady to an extent in the latter period, but never really looking like they might get back into the game against a side that had won only one of their previous nine fixtures. Given how packed the centre of the table currently is, with a mere three-point gap dividing third from 11th, and nine points between second and 17th, a run of 12 points from ten matches has not left Newcastle adrift but, similarly, they cannot end the campaign in thirteenth place.

The Problem of Expectations

The problem partially is one of public view. With the Saudi PIF, Newcastle possess the wealthiest backers in the world. The expectation when the PIF bought 80% of the team in recent years was that it would have a game-changing impact, similar to Roman Abramovich achieved at Stamford Bridge or the City Group had at Manchester City. The difference is that both of those investors assumed control prior to the advent of financial fair play rules (while the ongoing charges against City relate to whether they breached those regulations once they were implemented).

Financial restrictions restrict the capacity of owners, however rich, to spend money on their squads and so in that sense likely might have slowed any Saudi effort to elevate Newcastle to the standard of City. But there is no need for Newcastle’s expenditure to have been so restrained as it has; they could have spent more and remained within the limit – or simply taken a relatively meagre European fine since their big problem is primarily with the continental than the domestic regulation.

Stadium Spending and Financial Regulations

Additionally, infrastructure spending is excluded from Profit and Sustainability calculations; the simplest method to raise income to create more PSR flexibility would be to extend or redevelop the arena. Considering the site of the home ground, with listed buildings on multiple sides, in reality that likely means constructing an entirely new stadium. There was talk in spring of potentially making the short move to a local park – resistance from community organizations could surely have been overcome with a promise to build a new park on the existing ground location – but there has not been no movement on that proposal. There has occurred significant retrenchment from the PIF on a variety of projects as it shifts focus on domestic affairs; the attitude to Newcastle appears entirely in keeping with that change of approach.

Player Sales Situation

The star striker saga was born of that conflict. A more confident leadership could have framed his transfer as necessary to free up capital for further investment; rather there was a vain attempt to retain him. That meant the team started the campaign amid a sense of frustration despite the signings of Woltemade, Yoane Wissa, Jacob Ramsey, Malick Thiaw and Anthony Elanga. The opening was mixed: a single victory in their first six games.

But it appeared a turning point was reached. They had won five victories in six matches prior to the weekend, a run that featured convincing wins of Union Saint-Gilloise and Benfica in the European competition. That’s why the performance against West Ham was such a shock. The issue perhaps is that Newcastle’s style is extremely intense, high-energy; a minor decrease in intensity can have profound consequences. Maybe the strain of domestic, European and Carabao Cup competition, five games in 15 days, had taken its toll. Woltemade featured in all five games and appeared particularly weary.

The Nature of Modern Football

That’s the reality of modern football. Managers have to be ready to rotate. The manager has been unfortunate that Wissa’s fitness issue has meant he is lacking forward choices but, regardless of how reasonable the explanations, Sunday’s showing was unacceptable –especially after taking the lead at a stadium primed to criticize its home team.

Howe will wish it was merely a temporary setback, an off-day when everybody is off-colour simultaneously, but if the Magpies are to secure the Champions League next season, let alone one day mount an genuine championship bid, they cannot be as inconsistent as they have been.