🔗 Share this article

The Newcastle manager is not given to histrionics or sweeping public pronouncements. Based on his usual demeanor, his press conference after Sunday’s loss to West Ham qualifies as a furious tirade. His side took an early lead but the opposition took the lead by the interval, while also hitting the post and having a penalty overturned by VAR, prompting Howe to make a three substitutions at the half-time.

“That was the frustrating thing about the first half,” Howe stated. “Virtually any player could have been substituted and I think that was a reflection of where we were at that stage during the match and it’s very, very rare for me to feel that way. In fact, I don’t think I have since I’ve been head coach of Newcastle, therefore I believed the squad required a significant change at half-time. This explains why I made those decisions.”

Three key players all came off at half-time and the team did stabilise to an extent in the second half, but never really looking like they could get back into the game against a side that had won only one of their last nine fixtures. Considering the congestion the middle of the table is, with just three points dividing third from 11th, and a nine-point margin between second and 17th, a sequence of twelve points from 10 games has not left the Magpies stranded but, similarly, they cannot finish the season in 13th.

The Issue of Perception

The challenge partially is one of perception. In the Saudi Public Investment Fund, Newcastle have the wealthiest backers in the globe. The assumption at the time the PIF bought a majority stake 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 prior to the introduction of FFP regulations (while the ongoing allegations against City relate to whether they violated those guidelines after they were in place).

Financial restrictions limit the ability of proprietors, no matter how wealthy, to invest funds on their teams and therefore likely might have slowed every Saudi effort to elevate Newcastle to the standard of City. But there is no need for Newcastle’s expenditure to have been quite as cautious as it has been; they could have spent more and remained within the threshold – or simply taken a relatively meagre Uefa fine since their big issue is primarily with the continental than the Premier League regulation.

Stadium Spending and PSR Regulations

Additionally, infrastructure spending is exempted from PSR assessments; the easiest way to raise income to generate additional PSR flexibility would be to extend or redevelop the stadium. Given the location of St James’ Park, with listed buildings on two sides, in reality that probably means building an entirely new venue. Rumors circulated in spring of possibly undertaking the short move to a local park – opposition from community organizations could surely have been surmounted with a promise to create a replacement green space on the existing stadium site – but there has not been no movement on that plan. There has occurred significant cutbacks from the PIF on a variety of projects as it refocuses on domestic affairs; the attitude to the football club appears completely in alignment with that strategic shift.

The Alexander Isak Situation

The Alexander Isak episode was arose from that conflict. A bolder management could have portrayed his sale as essential to free up funds for further spending; rather there was a vain attempt to retain him. This resulted in Newcastle started the campaign amid a feeling of frustration despite the acquisitions of Woltemade, Yoane Wissa, Jacob Ramsey, Malick Thiaw and Anthony Elanga. The opening was mixed: one win in their initial six games.

But it seemed a corner had been turned. They secured five in six prior to Sunday, a run that featured convincing wins of a Belgian side and a Portuguese club in the Champions League. That’s why the display against the Hammers was such a shock. The issue maybe is that Newcastle’s style is extremely intense, high-energy; a minor decrease in intensity can have profound effects. Perhaps the pressure of domestic, Champions League and Carabao Cup competition, five fixtures in a fortnight, had taken its toll. Woltemade featured in each of those games and looked particularly fatigued.

The Nature of Contemporary Football

That’s the nature of modern the sport. Managers have to be ready to make changes. Howe has been unfortunate that Wissa’s fitness issue has left him short of forward choices but, no matter how reasonable the explanations, the weekend's performance was inexcusable –especially after scoring first at a ground ready to turn on its own side.

The Newcastle boss will hope it was merely a temporary setback, one of those days when all players is off-colour simultaneously, but if the Magpies are to secure the European competition in the future, let alone one day launch an genuine championship bid, they must not be as unreliable as this.