The cruel irony of Newcastle United’s current predicament is that, for all they are looking to the future, they are too reliant on the past and it is costing them dearly in the present.

As the rain lashed down at St James’ Park on Monday night, it captured the sodden mood on Tyneside as Everton secured a third straight Premier League win on that famous ground courtesy of Thierno Barry’s second half goal.

Newcastle dropped to 13th in the table after a third defeat in four.

Newcastle are lacking in character and quality despite spending so heavily

A sell out crowd greeted the final whistle with the sort of indignation which could be construed in a tipping point in their tolerance of the current state of affairs, something Matthias Jaissle insisted he understood as pressure on him grows.

"I was aware of the anger,” he told reporters afterwards. “Big frustration, big disappointment because we couldn't transfer what we saw in the week.

"The team was training at a high level, but since the ref started the game, not much was seen. It's difficult to understand. Of course the fans are frustrated, like we are.

"Unfortunately, we couldn't deliver. Actually, over the whole 90 minutes, it was not our game and our style of playing. That is something we are very frustrated and disappointed about. If you cannot deliver when it counts, then you don't deserve to win.”

With every passing game, it becomes clearer that the framing of the summer may have been wrong. Newcastle knew there would be huge transition, with the sales of Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali accounted for in advance.

The departures first of manager Eddie Howe and then captain Bruno Guimaraes just weeks out from the start of the Premier League season were not what the club wanted.

Yet, in an interview with TNT Sports before the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth on September 5, sporting director Ross Wilson insisted the summer had gone to plan “almost in its entirety”.

Out with the old and in with the new; a refresh, Newcastle 2.0. That is what the fans were told. After the success of the first five years under the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, which yielded two Champions League campaigns and a trophy, Newcastle had hit their ceiling and it was necessary to take a step back to move forward again in a more sustainable manner.

Perhaps, though, things went too far.

Wilson spoke of giving youth a chance and taking risks - a fresh identity he hoped would help the club become more competitive in the long run. More than £200m was spent on eight new players, but the problem is Jaissle does not seem to count on a number of them.

Bazoumana Toure cost £42m, but the 20-year-old Ivorian has barely featured; the same can be said for £35m midfielder Aladji Bamba.

Following a stellar performance in the victory over Hull City on September 19, it was hoped Dutch teenager Sean Steur would be given more responsibility. His substitute appearance shortly after Barry’s opener was his first league appearance since.

The bold strategy set out has yet to come to fruition. It is hard to blame Jaissle for not having more trust, but the upshot is that Guimaraes’ replacement right now looks to be Joe Willock, a player who, it was almost universally felt for as long as a couple of years, had no future at Newcastle.

Replacing Alexander Isak’s goals, a year after his acrimonious departure for Liverpool, is the responsibility of Will Osula, his former understudy, despite £175m being spent on strikers since 2025.

Harvey Barnes, consistently used as a bit-part player while Gordon shone on the left, has been given his opportunity. At present, he simply isn’t taking it.

There are so many others, too. Jaissle brought Fabian Schar and Dan Burn back into the fold ahead of the victory over Crystal Palace last Sunday and it worked perfectly. Since returning from injury, too, Joelinton has been a regular in an unfamiliar deep midfield role, but his physicality and leadership are seen as too important to go without.

Newcastle rejected a £15m offer from Nottingham Forest for Jacob Murphy on transfer deadline day and he too has featured regularly this season.

All of these players were crucial in Newcastle’s recent success, but by complimenting the best players in the team. Now Isak, Guimaraes, Tonali and Gordon have left, making them more prominent naturally reduces the overall quality, and it is not hard to understand the sort of impact that has on progress.

Long-term, the hope is that Steur, Bamba and Toure will develop into players capable of filling the boots of the players who have gone. They certainly have the profile and potential to do so. But right now, there is a void in Newcastle's squad, an imbalance between its character and quality. Left unchecked, the consequences could be dire.