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BBC News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Fondop's wall-mounted motivation to take Oldham up
Oldham Athletic's 116-year stay in the English Football League ended in ignominy in Latics picked up the unenviable record of becoming the first former Premier League club to drop out of the top four tiers of English years on from that chastening relegation, one man who has seen the club at its lowest ebb has set about leading the charge back to league Radio Manchester spoke to striker Mike Fondop about how he has motivated himself to lead Oldham to glory in Sunday's National League promotion final against Southend United at Wembley. The 31-year-old arrived at the club during Oldham's ill-fated 2022 season but injuries restricted him to just two the club losing its EFL status, Fondop stuck with the club and has scored 37 goals in 113 National League appearances what encouraged him to stay at Boundary Park?"The manager at the time, John Sheridan, called me after the end of the season and said 'I need you to come back. You owe me because I signed you and you only played two games. I want you to get this club back where it belongs'," Fondop said."So that has always been an objective because I came and I didn't have a chance to help them stay in League Two."The club doesn't belong in League Two, they belong higher than that but it is a step by step process."Between their relegation from League Two and the start of the following 2022-23 National League season, a takeover of the Latics by local businessman Frank Rothwell was ended Abdallah Lemsagam's tenure in control of the club and Fondop said that the difference between then and now is stark."The club is absolutely different now. The ownership now is more family orientated. The owners are approachable and want everyone to feel part of a family," he added."In the past it felt toxic. As a player I was focused on what I was signed to do but the environment at the time felt toxic. Now it is so different."If a club doesn't treat its players well you might think in the long run you can get away with it, you might for a period of time, but eventually it is going to affect results. Now the treatment is completely different." 'I wasn't even born last time Oldham won promotion' Oldham are not a club which have had much to celebrate in recent decades, having floated around the lower leagues of English football both before and after the turn of the millennium - having spent 21 years in the third tier prior to relegation to League Two in most recent promotion came in 1991 when they won the then-Division Two second tier recent record makes for grim reading. Their first season in the National League saw them finish 12th and was the first time they had finished in the top half of a division since said a team talk from boss Micky Mellon about how long it had been since the club had won promotion helped motivate him ahead of the trip to the capital."It has been 34 years since we experienced promotion. I'm 31 so last time they won promotion I wasn't even born," Fondop added."After the gaffer said that I went home and wrote down 34 years in bold on a piece of paper with my goals for the season and I put it on my kitchen wall. It's always in my mind."It's in my head every day because I want to be part of history and I want the fans to get back into the feeling of what Oldham deserves. It means more than people might think. It's in my kitchen until today and I'm not going to remove it until it is done."As for how he plans to ease his nerves ahead of running out at Wembley, Fondop has an eclectic and varied music taste."On gamedays I listen to gospel and that is what calms me," he said."I love Andrea Bocelli, Time To Say Goodbye is one of my favourites."I love jazz music as well, I don't have one specific type of song, I love a bit of everything. Usually in my downtime I can listen to opera and jazz. I don't like listening to things that give me headaches."
New York Times
a day ago
- Business
- New York Times
The making of Sunderland ‘Til I Die – but why promotion is unlikely to spark its return
Sunderland's return to the Premier League couldn't have come in more dramatic fashion. Dan Ballard's 122nd-minute header in the second leg of their play-off semi-final secured a place at Wembley, where Tom Watson's 95th-minute winner sealed promotion — ending their eight-year absence from the top flight. Advertisement Just as gripping was the club's hit Netflix series, Sunderland 'Til I Die, which spanned three seasons from 2018 to 2024, The third and final season concluded with Sunderland's 2-0 win over Wycombe Wanderers in the 2022 League One playoff final. The cameras didn't capture this season's return to the big time, so could the series make a return now that Sunderland are back in the Premier League? On the latest episode of The Athletic FC Podcast, Ayo Akinwolere was joined by lifelong Sunderland fan and Fulwell 73 co-CEO Leo Pearlman — the production company behind Sunderland 'Til I Die — to discuss how the show came to life. A partial transcript has been edited for clarity and length. The full episode is available below or in 'The Athletic FC Podcast' feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Ayo: Leo, it's interesting because you're a lifelong fan but you're also a programme maker, so you're wearing two different hats here. What was the difference from that fan's perspective to then actually being on the inside of your boyhood club? Leo: I can't say I enjoyed it, I have to be honest. I still remember the Netflix meeting we had when we were selling the show out in Los Angeles. We had three Premier League clubs lined up for the show, and if you think back it was before 'All or Nothing' had been made. I'm not going to name the three Premier League clubs, but they're mid-table clubs who finish somewhere between eighth and 16th every year. So Netflix were ready to do the deal, and we'd gone for these mid-tier clubs because we thought we'd get better access with them. But when I was sitting there in the meeting, I heard myself say out loud — as if I was almost hovering above myself — 'There is one other option. There's one other club I just wanted to mention.' And they went, 'OK, sure, go ahead.' And I said, 'They're called Sunderland.' And the Netflix execs went, 'Who?' And I said, 'They're pretty much like the Green Bay Packers.' Advertisement Then they asked, 'So they win championships?' And I said, 'Not exactly, but they come from a blue-collar town, it's a one-club city, and the whole world revolves around winning or losing. They're also undoubtedly followed by some of the most passionate fans in the world, and we'll get great access because I have a good relationship with them.' Understandably, they then asked me where they were in the table, and I said, 'Well, they're in the bottom three, but I'm pretty sure they're going to stay up.' And then they said, 'What happens if they go down?' And I just told them, 'If they go down, don't worry about it. It's going to be a Phoenix from the Flames-style series. They'll get 100 points, they'll smash the league, and it'll be really successful.' Luckily, they thought it was a really interesting and exciting idea, so they asked me, 'Do you think we should park the other three solid Premier League clubs?' And I said, 'Yeah, park the three, let's go with Sunderland.' As I was saying it, I was thinking to myself, 'This might be the worst idea I've ever had in my life.' I hadn't even spoken to Ellis (Short, former Sunderland owner and chairman) at that point and pitched him the idea, even though Netflix were sold in the room. I then called my two business partners Gabe and Ben, who are also Sunderland fans, and I said, 'I think I've just pivoted from X to Sunderland,' and they said 'Why on earth would you do that?' So even throughout the process of it, I thought it was maybe a bad idea, but the fan in me got overexcited. And then when we got under the hood, the club went down that year and were bottom of the league, it wasn't even close. It wasn't like we fought really hard in the Championship, we were a write-off from almost day one. So it became apparent that this was not going to be the story on the pitch, it was going to be the story of much more. And in truth, that was the greatest gift that we got for the show because finishing mid-table in the Championship that year would have been disastrous. The show would have been pretty bad and we certainly wouldn't have done a second or third season. Advertisement I must say, seeing under the hood and getting to really see what was happening as the club was rotting from the inside — and that's really what was happening in that first year — was incredibly depressing. Not being able to affect it, not being able to have any impact upon it, and having the cameras on the fans who cared so much, while seeing their pain and feeling it was pretty difficult. There were even a number of times when we were blamed for it. The fans sometimes said that every time we turned up with a camera, we lost. But it's not true — we just lost every week, so it coincided. Even the players and the manager blamed us, which of course was all nonsense. So it was tough, I've got to be honest. Ayo: Is there any chance of a reboot for the Premier League campaign? Surely you've got to be licking your lips at that one is a programme maker? Leo: Honestly, I've been asked that a thousand times since Saturday, and the answer is no. Nothing is perfect because that's a silly word to use. But I think as a TV show, the moment of us winning at Wembley for the first time since 1973, winning in the playoffs after having most fans be there eight times and see us lose, and beating Wycombe and having that moment, felt like the perfect ending to our story. It's not the ending of the story of Sunderland Football Club, we know that. But for Sunderland 'Til I Die, that felt like the ribbon and I don't know if I want to go back because I'm not sure what more we could do. If we'd been there on Saturday and if we'd told the story this season, of course a return to the Premier League would have wrapped it up in a bow because we started with relegation. But I wrote a piece before the final, and I really did believe it in that even though it obviously mattered whether we won or lost, that wasn't the key factor. The key factor is that the fans had their club back, and that's what it feels like now. It feels like there's something to be incredibly proud of about Sunderland Football Club again. And the credit for that goes to Kyril (Louis-Dreyfus, Chairman), Kristjaan Speakman (Sporting Director), David Bruce (Chief Business Officer) and all of the staff there who have worked unbelievably hard to get us back to this place. Wycombe was a great moment, so I'm happy with what we've done. You can listen to full episodes of The Athletic FC Podcast for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and watch on YouTube. (Top Photo:)
Irish Times
2 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Communist Party membership shares the qualities of LinkedIn and the Legion of Mary
It had been a long time since we last met and although the traffic was bad and Xiang was going to be almost two hours late, we were determined to meet for dinner regardless. But before he arrived he told me there was something I should know. 'I'm very angry and sad,' he said. Xiang worked at a forest park outside Beijing where he led a team of 12 people who spent their days planting, pruning and trimming. He enjoyed the work and loved being outdoors but on the day of our dinner, his boss had told him this idyll was about to end. 'I'm being transferred to the Party headquarters,' he said. READ MORE 'I'm a Party member.' The move was a promotion but it would mean working at a desk in an office every day, dealing with administrative processes. His boss had tried to persuade him to make the same move a couple of years ago but Xiang resisted and the plan was dropped. 'He's a kind man and he wants to help me but I don't want to move,' he said. Xiang's best years in the forest park were during the coronavirus pandemic, when staff were put on half time and he worked one week and was off the next. On his weeks off, he would drive to an unfamiliar province, staying in cheap hotels as he explored the countryside. 'When I retire, I'm going to buy a camper van and drive all over China ,' he told me, The half-time working arrangement continued for a year after the end of zero-Covid restrictions but with one unwelcome modification. If Xiang wanted to leave the Beijing area during his week off, he would have to inform his superiors in advance of where he was going. 'I stopped going away. I didn't want to have to talk to them about it,' he said. A couple of years earlier, Xiang and his colleagues were invited to hand in their passports to their superiors for safekeeping. If they wanted to travel outside the country, they only had to ask and the passport would be returned. 'Nobody does,' he said. Such restrictions are among the drawbacks of Communist Party membership, which also carries advantages such as access to better jobs, housing and government benefits. Many of the Party's 98 million members joined with an eye on their career, although one of those who did so told me recently that he later became interested in the ideology and embraced it. 'It's like a religion. You have to believe in socialism and all of that,' my friend Song said. Song is not a Party member but many of his friends are, most of them working in the arts and related fields. Bookish and bohemian, these people are nothing like the stereotype of a blank-faced communist bureaucrat but although they are not zealots, they don't seem too cynical about the Party and its purposes either. The rewards of Party membership are most obvious in the public service and state-owned enterprises, where it is a prerequisite for holding positions above a certain level. Party members can help one another to make connections too, in private business as well as in universities, the professions and the broader state sector. But they are also expected to volunteer for everything from disaster relief to organising neighbourhood clean-ups. And obligatory study groups for Xi Jinping Thought and self-criticism sessions mean that Party membership shares the qualities of LinkedIn and the Legion of Mary. Over dinner, Xiang persuaded himself that he would once again escape his redeployment to Party headquarters and that his boss would intervene on his behalf. But over the next few days, his mood appeared to darken as he sent me pictures of empty McDonald's wrappers and told me he was drinking beer at noon on his days off. When I heard from him again a few weeks later, he told me that the move had gone ahead and he had started his new job. I asked him how he was feeling about it. 'I'm not happy. I feel very sad,' he said. 'This weekend I'm going to buy some flowering plants. I can't change my job so I must change my mood.'
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Leeds United transfer news: The huge summer budget revealed, two England strikers being eyed up and the three goalkeeper targets
Leeds are back in the big time and desperate to break the promotion curse of the last two seasons, where every Championship side that goes up must come down. After a spring wobble, promotion was secured with relative ease and Leeds will return to the Premier League after two seasons away primed to take advantage of their American investment.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Why Martindale has 'genuine enthusiasm' for new season
David Martindale has "genuine enthusiasm" for Livingston's return to the Premiership as new owner Calvin Ford has vowed to "back the club".Livingston beat Ross County in the play-offs to secure promotion after just one season in the second tier."I'll be honest with you, I wouldn't have stayed at the club if I felt that it wasn't possible and we couldn't do this together," manager Martindale told BBC Scotland."This time last year, it was all emphasis on getting the club back to the Premiership and fortunately we've been able to do that."Everybody at the club has done that, we've always been that underdog, but last year was one of the most difficult I've had at the club personally, on and off the park."So to find ourselves back in the Premiership, we've got new owners, this is probably the first time in my 11 years at the club where I can look at a pre-season with genuine positivity, genuine enthusiasm because we're in a good place."Martindale says Ford "won't throw silly money about" but will provide adequate backing to fund the club's attempts to stay in the Premiership."Since Calvin's come in, he's been brilliant with me," he added. "We've got a group chat. We're all on that. Calvin messages me quite a lot himself so he's given me assurances that he's going to back the club."He's not coming in to throw silly money about. That's not what he's all about and that's not what I'm looking for. Calvin's come in and said he's going to give us a chance of staying in the Premiership next year."He's going to back the club. He's going to bring people with the right skillset to look after the long-term future of the football club."
