West Ham just about stayed in the Premier League last season and a lot of that was down to the January acquisitions of Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen.
It was quite clear however from that post-lockdown run and throughout this summer that the Hammers needed strengthening in their defensive ranks. Outside of Angelo Ogbonna last season, it was poor. The 62 goals conceded are testament to that.
To then head into the first game of the new campaign with the same back four that played for the vast majority of last season is criminal. But that is exactly what happened on Saturday in east London and in no surprise to anyone, West Ham were beaten.
Since they moved to London Stadium in 2016, the Hammers have failed to win their opening fixture of each season. This loss to Newcastle may well be more damaging than most considering what is up ahead for David Moyes’ side.
It doesn’t get any easier from here as they face Arsenal next weekend in the Premier League before games against Wolves, Leicester, Spurs, Man City and Liverpool. They could be in serious trouble come the middle of November.
The Newcastle game was supposed to be West Ham’s “winnable” game of their opening sequence but the home side were poor. They were second to every ball, barely threatened, lacked creativity and intensity and didn’t look like scoring.
The first half was OK, the home side hit the crossbar twice but Newcastle always looked the more threatening. West Ham were good in patches, but that wasn’t going to be enough to get the job done.
All of those are hallmarks of a team that will be fighting against relegation and while it might be a snap judgement after just one game, the signs are ominous.
They are ominous too for the ownership, who were greeted to a small pocket of fans holding their GSBOUT flags outside the players and officials entrance to London Stadium. It has been a disastrous summer off the pitch for the club and the first result on the pitch won’t help. Social distancing measures won't stop those supporters who have had enough of the ownership from speaking their mind.
Simply signing James Tarkowski won't alleviate the ill feeling. It'll help but it won't be enough. The Hammers need more than that.
Issa Diop’s regression is of huge concern, he was completely static for Callum Wilson’s opener and should Tarkowski arrive then the Frenchman will find himself on the bench very quickly indeed.
West Ham need a left back, a right back and arguably another striker but they haven’t got the money to do it unless they sell. Grady Diangana is gone, Felipe Anderson isn’t fancied and Jack Wilshere was nowhere to be seen in the squad for Saturday’s game.
Mark Noble lasted just over an hour of the game and sat on the bench with the look of a man still very much fuming at the summer's events.
It’s a mess. There were some questionable effort levels from some players on a mild evening in east London, even Declan Rice was off his game for the first time in an age. They were well beaten by a mid-table side at best in Newcastle, who have invested this summer, despite an aborted takeoever, in their weaker areas and, shock horror, they have improved.
It’s clear where the problems at West Ham are but they appear that they won’t, or can’t, be fixed. Moyes' side somehow managed to find a way post lockdown last year to win games and they rode their luck at times. On the evidence of Saturday, that luck has already run out heading into the new campaign.
