Newcastle United ended the January transfer window in low-key fashion, but Alan Pardew believes the month has been a “success”. Mark Douglas reports

SO once again Newcastle United failed to land their stated target despite a month of haggling.

For August 31, 2011 read January 31, 2012. This time it was a centre-back, then it was a centre-forward – on both occasions Newcastle and Alan Pardew will be forced to make do and mend to get themselves through to the next transfer window.

But if anger and outrage swept through the city six months ago, the emotions felt somehow different this time around. After all, Newcastle ended the window among the biggest spenders thanks to the skilful capture of new number nine Papiss Demba Cissé – and crucially they did not cash in on any of their saleable assets.

There was disappointment at failing to land a defender but a feeling that, overall, this window has been a qualified success. The £9m move for Cissé could prove a master-stroke.

There had been sniffs and tentative enquiries but there were no big offers for the club’s blue-chip performers Tim Krul, Yohan Cabaye, Fabricio Coloccini, Demba Ba or Cheick Tioté. And keeping the claws of the top-four vultures away from their prize assets was just as important as securing defensive cover for first-choice pairing Mike Williamson and Coloccini.

“It goes down as a success for me, yeah. If someone had offered me at the start of the season, I’d have taken it,” Pardew said yesterday afternoon, as it became apparent the Adrian Mariappa move was not going to come off.

“This time last year there was a danger that momentum was going to be sucked away, but that isn’t going to be the case. And I do feel buoyed somewhat by Perch’s performances at centre-half. He’s done particularly well.

“He was one of our best performers at Brighton – Coloccini is back, by the way and will play – but that has buoyed me going into the season’s second half.”

Pardew has learned much in the last 12 months. Last year he had been an open book, quoted on his interest in everyone from David Beckham to David Bentley. He’d also, fatefully, assured Newcastle fans that Andy Carroll wasn’t going anywhere.

He was much more circumspect this time, and as a result Newcastle supporters can’t accuse him of leading them down a garden path.