Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew is proud of the way they've spent the £35 million raised from Andy Carroll's sale to Liverpool.

Pards was at his lowest point when Carroll quit Toon. Yet now he could not be happier with his boys eight points clear of Dalglish's seventh-placed strugglers.

The Toon boss said: "Of course they have proved great value and we put great pride in the homework we do before we sign players.

"Graham Carr, our analyst and all the staff, we go through it all thoroughly. We also have to think a little left-field with our signings - we don't have the revenue of teams like Liverpool. But you also need a bit of luck, hoping they will come and settle in the city - which these guys have done.

"We wouldn't have had the success we've had with those new players unless they had adjusted really well to this club.

"A lot of work was done last year in making sure we get the balance and conditions right.

"And I think when you get that right, it makes them easier to settle.

"I had to drive out the gate with fans bombarding me with questions about why we were selling Andy Carroll.

"We were vulnerable because at the time we weren't safe in the Premier League and we had to fight tooth and nail to get ourselves out of it.

"The likes of Peter Lovenkrands and Shola Ameobi helped us through. But in the summer we got the chance to spend that money - and we spent it wisely."