🔗 Share this article The Reasons Middle Eastern Investment Hasn't Turned Newcastle into Championship Challengers Eddie Howe is not given to dramatics or sweeping public statements. So by his standards, his media briefing after Sunday’s 3-1 defeat counts as a angry tirade. His side scored first but West Ham were ahead by the interval, as well as hitting the post and having a penalty revoked by VAR, leading Howe to make a three substitutions at the half-time. “The opening period was particularly irritating,” Howe stated. “I almost could have taken anyone off and I believe that was a reflection of our performance level at that stage in the game and it’s very, very rare for me to have that impression. Actually, I don’t think I have during my tenure as head coach of the club, therefore I believed the squad required some shaking up at the break. That’s why I made those decisions.” Anthony Gordon, Nick Woltemade and Emil Krafth were substituted at the interval and Newcastle managed to steady somewhat in the second half, without ever really looking like they could get back into the contest against a side that had won only one of their last nine fixtures. Given 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 run of 12 points from 10 games has not left Newcastle stranded but, equally, they must not finish the season in thirteenth place. The Problem of Perception The problem partially is one of public view. With the Saudi PIF, Newcastle have the wealthiest owners in the globe. The expectation at the time the Saudi fund bought 80% of the team in 2021 was that it would bring a game-changing impact, similar to the former Chelsea owner had at Chelsea or Sheikh Mansour had at Manchester City. The difference is that those two owners took over before the advent of FFP rules (while the ongoing charges against Manchester City concern if they violated those guidelines once they were implemented). Financial regulations limit the ability of proprietors, no matter how wealthy, to invest funds on their teams and therefore probably might have hindered any Middle Eastern attempt to raise the team to the level of City. But there is no need for Newcastle’s expenditure to have been quite as cautious as it has; they could have invested further and stayed inside the limit – or just accepted a fairly minor European fine since their major issue is more with the continental than the Premier League rules. Stadium Spending and PSR Rules Additionally, infrastructure spending is exempted from PSR calculations; the easiest method to increase revenue to create additional PSR headroom would be to expand or renovate the arena. Considering the site of the home ground, with protected structures on multiple sides, in reality that likely implies constructing an completely new venue. Rumors circulated in spring of possibly undertaking the short move to a local park – opposition from community organizations could surely have been overcome with a commitment to create a replacement green space on the existing ground location – but there has not been no movement on that proposal. There has occurred substantial retrenchment from the PIF on a range of projects as it shifts focus on domestic affairs; the approach to Newcastle appears completely in keeping with that change of approach. The Alexander Isak Saga The Alexander Isak saga was born of that tension. A more confident management might have portrayed his sale as essential to release funds for further spending; rather there was a vain effort to keep him. This resulted in the team began the season amid a feeling of frustration despite the acquisitions of several new players. The opening was mixed: one win in their first six fixtures. Yet it appeared a turning point was reached. They secured five in six prior to Sunday, a run that featured demolitions of Union Saint-Gilloise and a Portuguese club in the Champions League. That’s why the display against the Hammers was so surprising. The problem maybe is that Newcastle’s approach is extremely intense, high-energy; a minor decrease in energy can have significant consequences. Perhaps the strain of domestic, Champions League and cup competition, five games in 15 days, had taken its toll. The German forward featured in each of those games and appeared particularly weary. The Nature of Contemporary Football That’s the nature of modern the sport. Coaches must be prepared to make changes. Howe has been unfortunate that Wissa’s injury has meant he is lacking attacking options but, regardless of how reasonable the reasons, the weekend's performance was inexcusable –especially following scoring first at a stadium ready to criticize 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 qualify for the European competition in the future, let alone one day launch an genuine title challenge, they must not be as unreliable as they have been.