A travel YouTuber has come under fire from locals after claiming that two Greater Manchester towns were among “the worst places to live in England”.
The Learning Canteen – which has 2.2K subscribers, and usually amasses tens of thousands of views per video – describes itself as a channel that focuses on creating “interesting and informative videos on travel, education, business, and lifestyle” and is known for posting a wide range of and top 10 list-style videos and round-up videos.
And it was in one of those list-style videos that Oldham and Rochdale were named among the worst towns to live in the country.
In the video, which is titled ’10 Worst Places to Live in England’ and has been viewed nearly 60,000 times, Oldham came in ninth place, while Rochdale – which was described as “bleak” – ranked third.
Other northern towns on the list include Middlesbrough, Blackpool, and Bradford.
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In the description of the video in question – which has a voice over by who is believed to be a Canadian narrator – the channel claims that the list represents their personal opinion, which has been “formed out of careful research and inputs from friends and acquaintances.”
Of Rochdale – which they pronounce ‘Rockdale’ – the narrator says the town has received “negative reviews by most of those who had been there.”
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They quoted one Rochdale resident as saying: “leave fast, or stay forever.”
Oldham town centre / Credit: Jody Hartley
Then turning the spotlight onto Oldham, the narrator describes it as “another not-so-good town in the north”, before bizarrely complaining that there’s not a “single tower to boost the town’s image” and adding: “You certainly won’t have a hard time agreeing that this is one of the worst places, even in the UK.
“The Office of National Statistics once announced it as Britain’s most deprived town [and] according to one resident, Oldham looks as though the government has been performing nuclear testing in the area.”
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This wasn’t the end of the criticism for the two towns either, as a later but similar video posted to the channel – this time titled ’12 Worst Towns in the UK’ – also named Oldham and Rochdale on the list once again, in 11th place and a tragic 1st place, respectively.
As expected, given the towns’ harsh rankings on both videos, local residents have a few things to say – and understandably, they aren’t happy.
Over on Facebook, one clearly-offended person said: “So a guy from Canada decides that Oldham is the second worst place in the country based on that there isn’t a high rise tower in the area”, adding that “Oldham isn’t the best but is certainly not the worst, shouldn’t even be top ten.”
“I could name 20 places that are worse than Oldham,” they concluded.
The incorrect pronunciation of the towns also drew quite a bit of criticism too, with another Facebook user commenting: “The video would be more interesting if the guy talking could actually pronounce the areas that he’s slagging off correctly.”
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But one Oldham resident chose to remain a little more optimistic by claiming that: “It’s not the best place to live but it certainly isn’t the worse place.
“The people who live in Oldham are the most friendliest people that you will ever meet.”
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons | Geograph
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The Premier League is keeping its crucial cap on away game ticket prices – for now
Danny Jones
The Premier League has announced it is extending its crucial price cap for away games, as the general cost of match tickets continues to creep up all over the country.
Most season card holders, be they here in Greater Manchester or elsewhere, are likely looking at their annual spending going up simply, so steps like these are key in keeping first division football as affordable as possible.
And that’s just the ongoing cost of living, let alone the clubs that are continuing the trend of charging more each year and, unfortunately, even pricing some supporters out entirely.
With that in mind, the news of England’s top-flight sides voting unanimously to keep the £30 cap intact for at least another two years comes as relief to those who spend most of the year putting their hard-earned cash towards following their team home and away.
BREAKING: The Premier League extend £30 cap on away tickets for another two seasons 🚨 pic.twitter.com/L336aZwmn3
Now confirmed to remain in place until the end of the 2027/28 campaign, travelling fans obviously still spend plenty of money on transport and so on every year, but at least they don’t have to worry about rising general admissions.
At least not for the time being…
Writing in a statement, the Premier League said: “Away fans help create the incredible atmosphere Premier League matches are renowned for. Since the cap’s implementation in 2016, it has contributed to attendance at away games increasing from 82% to 91%.”
They also acknowledged the significant and regular funds that supporters still spend on these trips, with plenty of people online also praising the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), which helped spearhead the campaign over a decade ago.
With so many other obstacles still getting in the way of fans making it to games either at their usual stadium or on an away day – not least of all the constant and increasingly frustrating rescheduling of fixtures – it’s good to see this isn’t an area the Prem are trying to target.
As always, the multi-billion-pound business can always seek out other, newer money spinners, and we’re absolutley certain they will. For instance, there’s at least one happening over in Spain that we’d happily see carried over here.
Following the news, this now means that fans will ultimately have enjoyed 12 back-to-back seasons of the benefit, and long may it continue.
Nevertheless, the biggest barrier for people to watch the beautiful game at its highest level in the UK remains the cost of standard tickets.
The likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Leeds and more have already let matchgoers know that their season ticket prices will be going up, and the likes of Man City have already seen backlash for increasing rates amid the expansion of the Etihad Campus.
Could the reaction to Casemiro’s swansong Man United season see him stay ‘one more year’?
Danny Jones
Casemiro has arguably been up there with one of the best Manchester United signings in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, after the likes of Bruno Fernandes; maybe not in terms of how it’s impacted the wider transfer budget, but now he’s about to leave, most supporters aren’t ready to let him go.
Truly, if they had their way, many would happily keep him for at least “one more year”, as they continuously chanted during the most recent home game.
However, with the footballing veteran himself admitting that he’s been left moved by the response and certainly basked in the chants for him to stay following the win over Aston Villa last weekend, another one in which he chipped in with a key goal.
Casemiro scored the opener in what went on to be a vital 3-1 win in their pursuit of Champions League places, and has made it clear that, like the rest of the squad, this is his only goal for the remainder of the 2025/26 campaign.
But with United now looking closer to securing third or perhaps even chasing down second place, according to many (some have even gone further than that…), this current, albeit still early doors, resurgence under Michael Carrick could be the start of a corner turned for the one serial winners.
However, fans have seen many false dawns at Old Trafford over the past decade or so, and there is obviously the risk of him ultimately spoiling what should now be a fine and fitting farewell.
Then again, after speaking in a recent interview with Sky Sports, the 34-year-old said it’s been “way more” special than he was expecting since he revealed his plans to leave on a high, and stranger things have happened.
You only have to look at Mohammed Salah and Liverpool, who looked all set to go before eventually U-turning and signing a new deal – though contract terms no doubt helped swing those negotiations.
As one of the highest-earning players not just at Man United or even the Premier League but in Europe, he’s already earned serious amounts during his time with the Red Devils, so there is a belief that the incumbent INEOS board would be happy to shift him off the books and reinvest in replacing him.
#mufc are in advanced talks to sign Bruno Guimaraes for around €80m, but renewed interest from Real Madrid threatens to complicate the proposed move [@Reuters, @fernandokallas]
The likes of Guimaraes, previously courted Carlos Baleba, Elliot Anderson, Adam Wharton, Wolves duo André and Joao Gomes have all been linked with possible moves to Manchester of late.
In fact, depending on how much room Jim Ratcliffe and co. have for spending on recruitment, they could potentially even cover the wages of more than one signing in the middle of the park or other positions that they feel may require further reinforcements.
All this is still very much in theory, of course, and while Casemiro has seemingly confirmed that he will depart this summer, who knows how much of the recent reaction and outpouring of love and support from the Stretford End and beyond could potentially sway the outcome?…
Then again, do you think reconsidering the decision would be a wise move, or at his age, is four years in the English top flight enough?
Emily Sergeant -
27th October 2021 
