Carole released by Shakers

Carole released by Shakers

Published Mar. 1, 2013 1:15 p.m. ET

Blackpool have taken MK Dons defender Gary MacKenzie on loan until the end of the season.

The 27-year-old, who played under Alex Rae at Dundee and was signed on a pre-contract agreement by Paul Ince at Dons back in 2010, will now go straight into the squad for the game against Bristol City.

Meanwhile, Ince has revealed he is close to adding a new member to his backroom staff.

"The person we are looking at is a very, very good coach," he told the Blackpool Gazette.

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"I like to do a bit of coaching myself, but mainly on a Thursday and Friday - that's when I come into my own.

"At the moment I don't think the players have been coached much.

"Sometimes, when you manage, you see players making mistakes and you ask them why? They tell you they haven't been told what to do."

The 20-year-old has seen his chances limited at the KC Stadium since Steve Bruce arrived in the summer.

He spent time with Burnley earlier in the season, but he now he has been snapped up by Blackburn as they look to mount a late charge towards the play-offs.

Stewart's agent Peter Morrison of the James Grant Group, confirmed that the deal had been concluded.

"He has signed a deal until the end of the season," Morrison told Sky Sports.

"This is a fantastic move and opportunity for him, to sign for a massive club such as Blackburn.

"They have huge ambition and highly respected top young manager and the chance for Cameron to be a part of that was too good an opportunity for him to turn down."

The Pilgrims have launched an initiative, titled ?BigForBarnet, which has seen entrance prices slashed and a number of deals introduced including free entry for children in a bid to pack out the ground.

And Sheridan, whose side head into the game rock bottom of the Football League, knows their form has to improve in front of their own supporters having overseen just one home win since taking charge.

"We need to be a lot better at home," he said. "We need to be courageous and brave and take charges. We need to be positive and get on the ball.

"We've been very lethargic at home and we need to get a bit more drive and endeavor.

"I don't have to give a message to the fans because they've been behind us from day one. I honestly can't believe how good they've been, for a team to be bottom of the league and get the support we are getting is frightening.

The fans have been different class and we need to give them a bit of hope and positivity."

This compares with a deficit of ?53.9m made by the midlands club for the previous 12 months.

Villa brought about this sizeable reduction despite a fall in turnover of ?11.6m.

A 16th-placed finish in the Premier League, fewer live TV matches, lower crowds and early exits from both domestic cup competitions accounted for the turnover reduction.

The average league attendance fell from 37,220 in 2010-11 to 33,873.

But operating expenses were reduced by ?20.3m to ?138.4m and player trading resulted in increased profit by ?8.1m from ?18.8m to ?26.9m.

Ashley Young and Stewart Downing were sold during this period for a combined figure of around ?35m.

In addition chairman Randy Lerner waived interest on loans totalling ?107.1m made by him to Villa, which created a one-time benefit to the club of ?20.3m.

Villa's chief financial officer, Robin Russell, said: "By managing costs effectively, the club managed to cut losses by more than half during a period which continued to be challenging economically both globally and especially in the west midlands.

"In this respect, despite a disappointingly low performance level on the pitch in the 2011-12 season, these financial results represent a further step towards the club's objective of long-term sustainability.

"Having appointed Paul Lambert as manager in June 2012, he is building a youthful, progressive first-team squad and we continue to offer our season ticket holders and supporters in general some of the cheapest ticket prices in the Premier League.

"Our objectives remain to compete strongly on the pitch and to achieve sustainability as well as compliance with both UEFA's and the Premier League's Financial Fair Play requirements."

It is part of tournament regulations that competing teams must make part of their pre-match session open to the media.

Almost always, that takes place at either the ground where the game is being played, or on home soil prior to departure, as has been the case with both United and City this season.

On Thursday it was confirmed that Real would remain in Spain for their final preparations. However, those plans have now been altered.

But instead of using Old Trafford as their training venue, manager Jose Mourinho has chosen the Etihad Stadium instead.

No explanation has been offered for why Real are choosing to train at City.

However, Mourinho, like Ferguson, is wary of his training sessions being spied on, either by the media or those with connections to his opponents.

And it seems the former Chelsea boss has decided it is safer to train at City rather than United as they look to claim a quarter-final berth following the 1-1 draw in Spain last month.

Real warmed up with a brilliant 3-1 win against Barcelona at the Nou Camp on Tuesday and face the Catalans once more, this time on home soil, in La Liga on Saturday.

The French winger has spent the last six months with the Shakers after impressing manager Kevin Blackwell during a trial spell, but he has only figured in five games - all as a substitute.

Carole began his career at Monaco, representing France at every age group up to Under-19 level.

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