No deadline day defender for Newcastle

It looks as though Newcastle United will not be bringing any defensive cover to the club in the final few hours of the transfer window.

This comes as the strongest link we've had with a defender looks set to join Wigan who have had a bid accepted by Watford - a bid that is said to be lower than ours!

So it looks likely that there will be no Adrian Mariappa at Newcastle, no defensive cover, and no hope should an injury occur to either Mike Williamson or Fabricio Coloccini in the final 16 games of the season.

I'm finding it hard to be annoyed about this to be honest. I mean I would have loved us to have got some defensive cover in, but I've maintained all along that Mariappa wasn't the answer. What is the point in bringing in backup who isn't any better than the backup you already have? Essentially we'd be in the same pickle, with or without Mariappa.

At this point people will tell me that Adrian Mariappa had a good game against Tottenham at the weekend which is true, but basing an opinion on just one game is a flawed argument. I remember when James Perch had Jonas Gutierrez in his pocket a couple of seasons ago... Point made.

However we've had the time to look at better options and have failed to do so which risks disrupting what could potentially be a cracking season for us. Of course there is still time in the window for things to change, but at the moment it's looking unlikely and we'll end up with no defensive cover until Steven Taylor returns. Get well soon Steven. Very soon!

Of course every cloud has a silver lining and this transfer window has been no different. Defensive cover was our priority, but we did manage to bring in a new striker in the guise of highly-rated Senegal international Papiss Demba Cisse, which was quite a fillip when it happened a couple of weeks ago.

You see, it's not all bad news, and at the moment we're yet to sell anyone which for a fan if NUFC is an absolute bonus under this regime!

With a few hours remaining, I'd be reasonably happy if it stayed that way!