The Rodfather Part II

0:00Shop the Sherwin-Williams Labor Day sale and get 35 % off paints and stains August 28th through September 9th. Whether you're refreshing your interior or exterior, we've got the colors to bring your vision to life. And with delivery, getting everything to your door is easier than ever. Shop online to have it delivered or visit your neighborhood Sherwin-Williams store. Click the banner to learn more. Retail sales only. Some exclusions apply. See store for details. Delivery available on qualifying orders. Coming up on this episode of the Mario Rosenstock Podcast. Do you have anything to sell? Mario, I just want to sell health.

0:39I want to live forever. I want to live forever. Now, do you know what, Mario? Do you know what it is? Get up in the morning and whatever how you feel, make you feel better when you go to bed that night. That's brilliant. And if you get to seven o 'clock and it's not feeling any better, open a bottle of red wine.

1:08Do you know, a conversation with Roddy Collins is unlike any other conversation you'll have with anyone else. The man is just a tonic. He's funny, emotional, a total open book and a great storyteller. Roddy joined me here in the studio before when he had just published his memoir, The Rodfather, about the many decades he has spent as a football player, manager and pundit. that was a couple of years back and so I thought it was high time to invite Roddy back onto the pod to have a catch up about what he's been up to since then. He's been spending seven months of the year in Spain. He's proven to be a very popular sports pundit on media because of his outspoken and honest approach.

1:43His son has become a professional boxer and lots, lots more. I didn't know, for example, that he's a really close personal friend of Vinnie Jones. So we had a lot to chat about. A fellow comes by in a jeep and says, All right, Rod! How are you, pal? What's the crack? All right, yeah. when did they get you a book last week couldn't find it I said where were you looking for it he said sport I said fiction you were at the wrong here's Vinnie right here's how he goes alright roads the all right Vim what's crack way down tomorrow so nothing really okay there's two flights booked for young Caroline Henry was his driver chauffeur pick you up in Stansted or Luton and we're going to a party or we're going to the dogs or we're going to the races and you'll be two days on the drink Jesus it was mad I had bad times and I was driving a tiny little car and I was at the traffic lights and a big Range Rover pulled up beside me and a sneer in it looked at me Hi Collins!

2:39You fell off your high horse there didn't you pal? I went yeah I'll still get to where I'm getting to you know I'm up and I'm down and that's it and I met Paul McGrath he was playing it and we were in the Gresham Hotel waiting for the coach to bring us and Paul gave me a brandy in port and I said no he's a drinker and I drank it I scored the best goal he ever scored and I won a big magnum of champagne I said Paul I paid the major 20 years ago I'd have been playing for Man United Chilvers would have been locked This was such an enjoyable conversation that all the questions I'd written down for Roddy I didn't ask him one of them because when we got into the conversation he's so present and in the moment I just rollercoastered with him from there and took it from there The full chat is available in a few minutes time on this episode of the Mario Rosenstock podcast but obviously as you can imagine, such a preeminent soccer figure as Roddy Collins.

3:29There were lots of messages on the Mario Rosenstock hotline. Here they are. Hi, you've reached the Mario Rosenstock podcast. Please leave a message. How are you, Mario? It's John Delaney here. I love your podcast. And I know you have Roddy Collins on. And I know Roddy had a few things to say about the FAI in his time. but I've done a bit of soul searching and done a few online courses. I think the time is right now for my return and I know I'd be able to count on Roddy's support in the FAI. I'm a changed man and I'd like to discuss it with Roddy actually. If Roddy wants to, after the podcast, he can come down to Dublin Port.

4:15There's a 100-foot super yacht there waiting for him and we're heading over to the Amalfi Coast to a thing called Bunga Bunga Central. Anyway, a lobster there as well and a bottle of Chateau Rothschild and we can drink it out of my shoe if you want to anyway. Discuss the whole thing. Thanks, Rod. How's it going? This is Roy Keane enjoying the podcast, to be fair. I heard you have Roddy Dillon. I'm out in Tuscany at the moment on a two-week break on holiday from the overlap. They're looking for a replacement. Roddy, they're looking for somebody outspoken, colourful, controversial you might fit the bill at the end of the day any chance you could grow a beard develop a funny laugh and just change that poxy accent as well just tone it down from Dublin maybe a bit more cork the lads would love to see it thanks Howie and Marnio Barberty Ahern here enjoying the podcast and I know Roddy Collins and I sure know myself is a great football man Roddy I'm making a run for the Oris this year, people haven't announced it yet but it's happening I'm thinking of reinstating the Bertie Bowl I need a man, a good man to head it up a man, a good dub, a man who knows his way around Dublin all the way out to Abbottstown and if you could possibly, would you be interested?

5:41I'd love to work with you, I know we have a great relationship going back in the past, thanks and I think Roddy would be a great replacement for Roy on the overlap anyway exclusive comedy every week on the Mario Rosenstock podcast and you can get in touch with me personally mariorosenstock at gmail.com you can get in touch with me about anything you can get in touch with me about the podcast you can get in touch with me about my tours you can get in touch with me about sketches that you want me to write new characters that you'd love to see new guests that you might like to see constructive criticism or even just downright old fashioned unabashed compliments about the podcast.

6:15And please, if you can, if you enjoy the podcast, tell one other person about the podcast and see if they like it. I've been getting loads of emails from people who are around the world who have told just one other person about the podcast and that's how they got into it. Thank you so much for doing that. And I get back to all the emails that are sent to me. And thanks, of course, to my great sponsor, deluxebathrooms.ie. Their all-star August sale is on right now. and it must end on August Bank Holiday Monday and you can get up to 70 % off Europe's biggest bathroom brands. Transform your bathroom for less.

6:48Upgrading your bathroom doesn't have to be expensive. Why not capitalize on these amazing offers while they last? You can easily transform your bathroom into what you've always dreamed of. DeluxeBathrooms.ie They're in Eastgate Retail Park, Little Island in Cork. Dundalk Retail Park in Dundalk. Make your dream bathroom a reality now with Deluxe Bathrooms. And thank you so much to Deluxe Bathrooms and Martin and all the guys up there for being such a faithful sponsor to us. And they're going to be with us at least till the end of this year. And it's great to know that. OK, let's cross over to the Goal Out studio and meet the one and only Rod.

7:22Roddy Collins. He's been keeping as busy as ever since we last cut up here on the podcast. One of the things he's been doing has been spending a few months of year in Spain. So that's where we started. I went down. I go out and holly out and holly out and holly. And then I said to Caroline, Caroline broke a neck. So I said, right, Spain might be good for you. so I went down and I rented a house I could have a house for 7 months or 11 months pardon me so I took it 2 years ago from April till the 1st of November I've been doing that since Okay why? Why? Because it's calm Where is it? Cambryles Where's that?

7:57It's the part of Cambryles it's down from Salud and up from it's in Erdogan Salud If Spain is a square where is it on the square? It's on the square it's up in Dundalk Okay so Alicante yeah and if you went 40 no no Barcelona Barcelona fly into Barcelona for 11 euros 11 euros I got a taxi from Dublin from my house into the airport it was 28 quid I gave the chap 35 to get a point and well not a point in town but get a point somewhere for 7 euros don't talk I got two flights for 11 euros each wheeling wheeling they call it and the train down for a tenner each it was cheaper I know right to get from Dublin to Barcelona you get up in the morning and you go will I turn right with a turn left I'm up to a kilometre and a half sea swimming I want to one of my dreams is to do the leafy swim because I remember Chalky White doing it and I remember Demet Philip doing it and looking down and all my grandkids and have a picture of it so I'm doing that now but what are you doing hold on why are you going to Spain why am I going to Spain I don't know a bit of peace I think from who from probably all my kids and grandkids.

9:08They followed me out. You know, I don't know. I just, I'm very blessed. They probably want to be around you more now that you're out in sunny Spain. Yeah, they do because they all came out to me last week and I come home and haven't seen them since. Like when I'm away, dad, we never see you, granddad, we never see you, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And then I come home. What are you doing out in Spain? Like, I don't want to, like, sorry, have you ever seen the film Sexy Beast? I've only ever seen about three films in my life. Okay. One of them was made, on the radio the other day I was made go to see Where Do I Begin no no no it wasn't it was memories Redford and Oh Streisand the way we were that was one The Raging Bull I've watched at least 100 De Niro in my own cinema Jake La Moda I met Jake I had breakfast with him so yeah I am no I didn't see that film I'm sorry so here's what you're going to do you're going to get that film out and watch it on Netflix or whatever it's called Sexy Beast Sexy Beast Sexy Beast.

10:07Yeah. It's a crime, a mob, a kind of a mob crime thriller. Yeah. Right? It's about a Londoner. Yeah. Right? Shaping and shifting. Yeah. Right? But he's done, he's finished, he's retired. Yeah. And he's going to move to Spain. Oh, for fuck's sake. Right? And he's out. And then one of his old friends comes back to Spain and says, we've got one last job. One last job. and he goes no mate it wasn't the Hatton hoist was it I'm out I'm out mate and he goes you're not out you're in no I'm out you're in I'm out you're in no yes no yes yes yes yes yes yes yes you're in so it's a brilliant film and I encourage you to watch it and so that's my image of you yeah but but but it's not me out there I'm down to indigenous people there's no tourists and we're all the little indigenous people I'm very big out there because they're all that bleeds now I am I'm 6 '4 down in all Catalonians they're in language they're in dialogue yeah that's right Catalan and they get a little bit offended well I'm only trying to learn they want to be free of Spain big time like buon dia is good morning buon dia is Spanish right and botel is Spanish for bottle bocelli I ask for now so I'm only learnt word by word I'm fluent in origin wine You know about Shell You know about Shell You are in Sexy Beast You've got to watch Sexy Beast I will I'm going to be in Vinnie Jones Vinnie's bringing me on to his farm I didn't realise that you were such close friends of Vinnie Jones Tell us about that How did you guys meet even?

11:52I'll tell you what I met The night I touched a bit the year off Evander Holyfield Right That's in mid 90s Mid 90s I was I was at the fight and afterwards shootings everywhere because these rappers were all shooting each other. Big commotion. Anyway, a fella said to me there's a famous footballer down in the circus circus holding court. Who was he? Finney Jones. I played in England at a lower level just to miss his league by maybe a year or two or whatever. And I always told him to have a go off him. He's fancy. He's a hard man. So anyway, I went down and he was holding court in a pair of football shirts and I went down and he goes, fucking hell, fucking Collins the boxer.

12:32I love her the love her so we just you know when you meet someone yeah bang yeah and we spent the whole night up all night yeah take a drink then and I was taking a drink and I still do but anyway up all night and that was on a weekend the following Saturday Stephen was fighting in Glasgow and my other brother was on the bill as well Pascal Pascal we got him and Finny said I'm coming over and he brought Tanya God rest her soul and Tanya I know that you meet couples and I could meet Jeremy Grant and then the two women I don't like him he doesn't like him and it doesn't work the minute Tanya walked in her and Caroline liked that so regards to me and Vinnie's relationship they'd a brilliant relationship so it just matured from that and then he'd bring me over to here's Vinnie here's how he goes this is what Wednesday Friday alright Rod the RVM was crack way down tomorrow so nothing really okay there's two flights booked for young Caroline Henry was his driver chauffeur pick you up in Stansted or Luton because he was in Watford and we're going out for a day or we're going to a party or we're going to the dogs or we're going to the races and you'll be two days on the drink Jesus that was mad what a great time life is good Spain Spain for seven months Ireland for I was home for the communion and I was home for a party and I'm going back maybe next Tuesday or Tuesday I'll see and then I'm home for other bits and pieces and I got my bloods done this morning I'm going to live forever Good man, yeah You're looking absolutely smashing now I'm going to live forever You have one of the best hairlines I've ever seen Not one blade of that hair is ever falling out You're like a gonk You're like one of them yokes that you see in a shop that you win in a competition in one of those in a fair You know I'll have that yoke at the back I'll have that yoke at the back with the hair stitched onto it No, Mario Truthfully right there's a girl called Rose Boyle her she comes to the house and does that and I didn't get it done for six weeks I was away for six weeks so there's not one hair in my head do I have I'm 65 on the 8th of August and that's on me five if I could describe it to the listeners right your hair isn't modern either it isn't like it's not over the gap is it no no it's not modern it's not like a you know a fade or anything like that you look like you are in a you look like you're in 1996 that's your hair at the moment is that no aces hair style not really no more like if Rick Astley had made it to 1996.

15:01I'm not happy with that. Now you're not red. It's like if Rick Astley's hair was brown and he had made it and he had still been singing in 1996. Or you look like you're in Prefab Sprout or something. Well, when I left the house I didn't look all them things. I thought I looked like Sopranos. And a fantastic pair of glasses. In the wind coming into the car. So listen, I want to talk to you about a load of things. So you wrote The Rodfather and did that do well for you? I saw it twice. Yeah. And it won an audio book. Can I ask you a personal question about that? when you write a book like The Rodfather does it make a few quid for you?

15:33Does it? I got 50 grand That's good It's declared by the way The way you said that I remember You said that as if you were talking directly to the tax man You had an awful sneer on your face It's fucking declared by the way Yeah But I remember when I came round it was coming to Christmas Yeah And I got a phone call Do you know Do you have artist exemption? What's that mean? The fucking tax I don't know Okay, let me tell you about that, right? And you can buy me five pints for the thing. No problem. Have you got an accountant? Yeah, top man. Tell your accountant to apply immediately for your artist's exemption on tax.

16:10Yeah, right. So all authors out of creative works, which yours definitely is because it's the story of your life. Yeah, half. And that's even more creative. What do you have in? Half made up. It's fiction, right? No, no, no. I have to correct you on that. I was out in picnic... What's it called, that? Electric picnic. Electric picnic last year. I'm actually the Roddy Whisperer. I know what he's saying before. He says, I was out at the chomp chomp. What's that? The electric picnic. Anyway, and I was walking around, me and Paul Howard, couldn't get in. I wanted to climb over the wall. He wouldn't do it.

16:44I'm game. He wouldn't. He's the most organised, honest, obedient person on the planet. I was getting over the wall. We were late on the stage. Fella comes by in a jeep too. I was, all right, Rod. How are you, Paul? What's the crack? Yeah, all right. yeah when did they get you a book last week couldn't find it I said where were you looking for it he said sport I said fiction you were at the wrong there you go Rod you have that line there you go come here so I'm just saying that the revenue yeah allow authors to write off 50 ,000 euro a year a year either if you only write one book yep so for the rest of my life I'm tax exempt for 50 grand no yeah but you would have to be showing the revenue that you are you got more you're still an author as in so in other words that was a one off but then you should have got a 50 ,000 tax exemption ah well look I don't know Carolyn's a bookkeeper she was a bookkeeper in Guinness as an a gas company it was Charlie Hawhey brought it in did he?

17:44so Charlie Hawhey brought it in right and I think at the beginning it was nearly unlimited as an artist so this was brought in for like sculptors and painters and poets because they earned so little Charlie Hawhey said we should encourage the arts in Ireland and we should do Unlimited. And then I think it was reduced to about 250 ,000. And then I think it was further reduced to 50 ,000. But 50 ,000 is still a substantial amount. But Marnio, I think it's right because honestly, my probably naivety growing up, if I see something on the telly, including you, I don't know anyone's business, I automatically, when I was a kid in Carbara and Frankie Grimes was an actor back in the day and he was on Glenrow and the readings and all, when I seen him he was a millionaire he did cross the road yeah I wish he was a millionaire oh but stupid Roddy Roddy Roddy everybody thinks you're a millionaire if you're on TV right yeah I remember when I was on Glenrow and I went into a McDonald's once right and I ordered a Big Mac and fries and basically a crowd gathered around me and I went what is he doing in the McDonald's well like it must be hard times if he's in McDonald's I thought he was a millionaire I thought he had a yacht I have one yeah you have a yacht I'll show you the picture you later on.

18:55But I hit bad times and I was driving a Kia car besides that desk. Tiny little Kia. And I was at the traffic lights up and just coming into Errburn Avenue up near Castle Nook and a big Range Rover pulled up beside me and a sneer in it looked at me and said Hi Collins what's the crack? How are you doing you? You fell off you high horse there didn't you pal? I went yeah. I'll still get to where I'm getting to. Ah, yeah, where'd it all go wrong? I said, I don't know. You know, I'm up and I'm down and that's it. God rest his soul. He died penniless. He lost his company, he lost everything. You know what I mean?

19:35So, like, material things. I was that man, Mario. I drove the mechs, the S-Class mechs, and I couldn't afford a petrol. Yeah, yeah. And I wore the Rolex and I couldn't afford a shoe. I'd have to go into the Louie and get it on the Nook. Yeah. The weekly. And I thought that was, you know, and then you realise, you get said, what the hell about? Yeah. You know what I mean? it's ups and downs of life the ups and downs of life Robbie and come here listen there's a couple of things actually I might as well pick your brain about because we did so much chatting in the last podcast that I don't want to go over that subject again so I want to talk maybe new stuff with you what do you think of Damien Duff and his impact on the League of Ireland and what do you think of the League of Ireland and the fact that from my perspective anyway over the last two or three four years the League of Ireland seems to have had a much bigger resurge a surge in popularity so tell me Talk to me about the League of Ireland and talk to me about Damien Duff.

20:26Well, Damien Duff, I'm his biggest fan. I'm his biggest fan. I wrote an article about him two weeks ago. I actually called him the night he resigned. And when he came into the league, I said, this is not going to last. And no disrespect to Damien, I thought, you know, he's been at the top end of elite sport in the Premier League, in the UK, and in the national team. And he's going to come down and work with people who are good, honest, incompetent people, but he's going to have to work with them. and this is going to totally and completely frustrate him and drive him mad as it did me and I didn't come from the high bar he did so and then I followed him and then I went to his games I did a stack off the talk of Park and then I studied him in the dugout and then I listened and then I encored with some of his players who I got to know and he is for me the future Ireland manager and could possibly well I believe and I know the business I think he could possibly be a Premier League manager in England if he so wants to be his I don't think he seems if he wants to be I get the from the media reports that I read about him I understand like I understand that he's a little bit of a home bird yeah he likes Ireland well he's going to be a home bird Mario when he has young children yeah look I'm a home bird but I'm out in Spain does he have young children I think he has young children yeah so that can be he's financially secure he is a little bit of a hobby it was for him he loved it he enjoyed it but like everything else even in a marriage if you give 100 % you're getting 60 % back, the marriage is going to break down.

21:53It's the same in football. If you're giving all your energy and I watch Damien, he gave every ounce he had, 24-7 to that group of lads. And they're all great lads, I know most of them. But they didn't have the ability to give it back. Still won a league. No, I don't mean that way. Damien won them that league. Do you think? 100 % because I watched they weren't the best team in the league, they weren't the best players in the league, but he was the best tactician. How did he? Was he? He's brilliant. So you're saying, because from an outsider like me right if you asked me the question how did Damien Duff win Shelburne the league I would have stupid well I would have answered well I guess they respected him so much and he inspired them so much that they went out and they gave more than 110 % they bled Shelburne and they gave 120 % and maybe 11 men on the pitch became 13 men that's how they did it but you're saying no he was a great tactician no every team at the top end does that but there has to be something different so you're saying he has a good football brain brilliant brilliant it.

22:51Because when I managed, I always looked at the tactical side of it from the boxing as well. When I watched Damien, I went to see his first ever friendly game. It was in the AUL. I just wanted to see how he set his team up. It's not competitive, but it's pre-season. Then when I seen him in games, and I done some of them live on the television, when I seen him in games, and I seen the fault early, and I thought, next of all, Damien will change it. He's seeing it. He's seen it. and the proof was in the pudding when Damien made a tactical switch whether it was personnel or whether it was tactical it improved him Alright so you're saying this fella is smart Duffer is smart Oh very smart brilliant motivator Yeah Like the players he had I would say you know the top three teams last year in the league probably half his players wouldn't get into Right fair enough that's a great observation Yeah so he brought them together as a unit Thank you All your stuff you said Mario about enthusiasm about desire That as well but look that alone is not going to win you a league you'd rather have that finish in the top three or four maybe but you have to have the other tactical notes as well and to be able to see a situation before everyone else sees it correct or it's too late let's move on then because I want to move on from that to I want to move on from that to the next corollary of that the follow on from that which is you just said it there you said I would hope or I think that Damien might be the new Irish manager.

24:20Okay. The next Irish manager or down the line the Irish manager. With that in mind I wanted to ask you like what's been going on with the Irish national team in the last six to seven years or really rather since since we qualified for the last tournament in France in 2016. What's going on with the Irish national team? Now should we and should we be in a position where at least we're getting closer to qualification for some of these tournaments. I mean, some people would argue it's not that hard at the moment to qualify for some of these tournaments. You're getting in, you know, they're taking the first two, then you get a playoff.

25:01And should we be qualifying? Should we be doing better? I noticed Northern Ireland a few years ago with Michael O 'Neill had players. I didn't know any of them, but they were on top of the table. So what do you think, Rodney? Look, look, people think I have a personal vendetta against Stephen Kenny. I haven't. he's a gentleman a good family man and I've great admiration on that end of it from a football perspective we all have a ceiling to reach in every sport we've reached our limits and I think Stephen's ceiling is League of Ireland and he will prove that at Pats international football is way beyond his qualities in my opinion and he was exposed on many occasions and I used to forensic examine every game play back look at tactics and you could see the lack of, how can I say, what Damien had, Stephen didn't have.

25:52And I don't think anyone in the league of Urland football, and this is not contradictory to what I said about Damien, can be classed as somebody who's qualified to manage a national team. It's totally different. It's like if you go into a boxing ring and you're at a certain level, every time you step up, seconds or minutes become seconds because if you don't see something, you're getting knocked out. Football pitch, the same with the national football. We played against Serbia. we were 1-0 up at half time I'm watching it, watching the clock watching everything, they come out, put three against our back three, we leave our this is a bit tactical but we leave our wing backs up the pitch and we're waiting home instead of tucking them in, keeping it right for 20 minutes it was a disaster and they called I think it was 67 minutes anyway 3-1 to get one back so stuff like that and we didn't qualify because when Stephen went in he was more like a development manager for the future and that will probably be proven with the players that he did introduce and give caps to further down the road Do you think we have a good squad of 30?

26:51I think we have a very good squad Do you? So you think that you think that there's let's say if you had to pick 30 players there and put them in a pool you think out of that 30 players there's a good 11 there somewhere and a good 15 a good 16 There's a competent 11 and that will always be gays on the amount of Premier League players we have and we have a good few of them with good experience as well we have an abundance of goalkeepers we our strikers were just waiting from the fire I don't think Oida is the answer and I'm a Celtic supporter he is the answer I don't think so you don't think so he's not forgetting his goals who do you think is the answer in the current 30-35 players well the other kid Ferguson Obefemi look they'll all have contributions to make but if there's a go-to man we don't really have one at the moment now we're all banking on that kid Ferguson who's only a kid and he's still to hit the ground I hope he goes to Roma and I hope he does is that a possibility is he?

27:43Well that's where he wants to go and they want him so that's the way it's looking so look looking down the road I think he's a great manager now by the way Oh right so you like Hal Grimson I do indeed Do you think there's some hope in his performances so far? I do I do He's very pragmatic We played the coach's manual football under Stephen Kenny which was a disaster Pass for the sake of passing sideways and backwards He doesn't do that we get it for And he plays to the strength of the players we have and we are more competitive at the moment and I think there is a future there for us and I think he's a very good manager.

28:13And you can see through people when they talk about the game, if they're winging it, protecting their position as manager and trying to get longevity out of it, I can see if they really believe in what they're trying to do and I believe in what he's trying to do and I think he believes in it as well. And I think we've got players to develop that and I think we'll have a good future. Interesting. Your son Podge is a professional boxer. He is. Tell me about that and do you ever worry about him? No, not in the ring. Outside the ring. Look, he was 22 stone. He was apprenticed. What? Yeah, 22 stone.

28:43He boxed in my gym. Is he heavyweight? He's heavyweight now. We stay with the cruiser at the minute. What weight is that? About 15 or 14? Yeah, he's 15 stone now at the minute. Wow. He, how can I say, he came into my gym when he was a kid and he had a few rounds with a few people and I remember him one day, he's the biggest gentleman you'll ever meet. I remember him one day, had a little bit of a knock with a kid, he was only about 12, and the man got to bed from him and he took the gloves off, threw them down, and that was it. He never came back to the boxing club. And I left him. we've no problem with that.

29:12So he marched along, played a bit of football, always carried a good bit of weight, you know, likes his bit of grub. And I remember playing a game of football and his manager said, he's brilliant, he doesn't like the running around aspect of it. But I was cool. But does he have a bit of talent? Well, I'll put you this way, right? You're allowed to say it. Well, it's my son. Well, Stephen Collins and my brother, Pascal Collins, are the ones that came to me and said, Rod, there's something there. Is there? You need to get him. And, I'll give you one story that'll finish the whole story. Yeah. Right.

29:44He'd go up to the gym. He wasn't going to sit. He was going to move around and everyone's, you know, and then suddenly he'd come home to me. He says, da, we'll have a chat with Pastor. He's protecting me. He won't let me box. He won't let me spare it during the day. I said, Pastor, let him get a few thumps and he might give her up. No, he says, Rod, he's going through all these lads, he said. All on his own level, but he's going through them all. He's a bit of spy. There was a gentleman outside the room. Anyway, so one day he was lying on the chair. Steve and Pascal rang me. he says Rod it's part of the round I need a heavyweight to spare hadn't been in the gym for four months right and I went well he's sleeping this over there he says yeah no problem jumped up in the shower put his training gear on within 30 minutes of getting the call he was in the ring with a top 10 world contender for the super delay heavyweight division and he'd done four three minute rounds and held his own and gave him something so then he boxed and burned me and Stephen went and he kept me and he says Rod let me walk with him so I just said look, I'm the football man.

30:40You're the boxer man. So he's having his fourth professional fight the 10th of October. He's won his first three in the calendar year. At Cruiser or heavy? Cruiserweight. Yeah. He's down. He's down. He's lost Seven Stone. Yeah. He's, right now, he's started camp training. And is he called Podge? Well, unfortunately, that's his name. Partick is his name. And my wife's gone mad. But Podge is the name on his shorts. Podge is what they call him in his ring entrance. And it's just, honestly if I brought him in here he's the least lightliest individual he's the most kindest gentlest cuddly gentleman on the planet when he gets in the ring oh my god you said spite he has a spite I love that word and that was that was that was said to me Rod he has spite in there yeah yeah and when he gets in where does that spite come from Rod I think it's in us all yeah I think it's in there I think it's a competitor but it's not but it's not the spite doesn't necessarily for example I'm very fascinated by these things the spite doesn't necessarily come from yeah you know I got the spite because my father beat me up when I was two it doesn't necessarily come from that it's something that's naturally in us yeah it's a competitiveness and it's a it's a nature of well I've been sharing the ring and I've shared the ring many times but if it gets above your station there now it goes into a different when you say spite in boxing terms I know you're using that in a kind of a boxing way Yeah.

32:06Do you mean, does the spite, does the spite mean, does the spite mean reflect, I hate being beaten and I'm not going to be beaten or I'd love to give, I love giving a bit of punishment. No. What is it? No, the first one. I just don't want to be beaten. Yeah, not giving a bit of punishment. They don't do that. Yeah. And I mean, I've seen him hit a fella in his last fight and you could have hit him again. Chop is on his way down anyway. Yeah. So it's not, I don't want to be beaten. Don't want to be beaten. I'm not lying down. Oh no. And the thing about it is and Stephen had it as well Pascal apparently had it in football and in boxing and he definitely has it that everything's grand everything's hunky-dour and you're on top and everything's great and then someone gets a little bit above the station and then you it just takes I don't know where it is it's just like hold on a minute you know I'm not having that Brilliant I'm going to skip subjects again because I think this is the best way to handle interviews with you or else you would just because you can talk about one subject for four hours so I'm going to have to discipline you I have to use a bit of spite Rod a bit of spite to keep you honest.

33:07One of your good friends is Paul Howard. Yeah. The satirist, the author, the comic author who I know very well as well. Yeah. Believe it or not, I'm actually collaborating with him on something myself. Brilliant. Which I don't want to talk about. Yeah, I'll talk about it off air with you. Yeah, yeah. But it's very exciting for me personally anyway because of the subject matter that we're collaborating on is something really cool, I think. Yeah. But anyway, you are very friendly with him. How did that happen? Look, back to the boxing. Stephen was on the road to becoming a world champion. He was a junior reporter for a couple of different papers.

33:43And we met him. Paul reckons it was in New York. Me and Carlin were going to bed after another win, a good celebration. And he was sitting in the corner. And if you know Paul, I know him 30-odd years. He looked about 15 when he was 20. The Milky Bar kid, we nicknamed him. And I remember going up and Carlin says, that kid should be in bed. and I says I went to the officer he grew up to bed you he says I don't have a bed I'm sleeping here so I went to the officer and I says kids no bed so we had one of them big rounds single bed double bed single bed so I pulled it made a bed in the corner for him threw him in and that was it so from every trip after that with the lads then everywhere we went like since Paul became famous he slept on a thousand floors on our trips but he didn't he slept on mine right but oh that Paul Howard I remember when we were in Milan and he had no room and he slept on my floor he wasn't he was on my floor you know the way everyone was at Mill Street you know but he was just he was just the most inoffensive how can I say right we played a game of football in Milan against the reporters out there and he wouldn't refuse to play even though he only had a pair of cowboy boots on he's just the most kindest inoffensive like when we were doing the booties in my house and Caroline's when you were in the water right in the book book okay Caroline's a feeder right so anyone that comes into my house gets fed yeah even if you don't want it right and Caroline if you take the first and Caroline go is that nice can you taste the pepper and all that and he said well you know so anyway Paul's first day he came and he had a big feed and the whole lot and that was it so the next week he arrived when he arrived he said can I have a word I hope I'm not offending anyone here and I said is it okay if I don't have my meal here today and I went oh Caroline I won't be happy she'd be very offended thinking that it was and I said he says no he said I booked a meal that night last Friday with 10 people he says look who do we need to start so that's you know offensive but as I always say Paul Howard is the most talented funniest comedy I don't I laugh at you I'm not just saying that because I'm here I do I laugh at you especially when I'm Miriam not Miriam Miriam Miriam O 'Callaghan genuinely laugh I like you with my blonde hair yeah it's brilliant now me and Caroline right but anyway you know some men have come over to me after shows and they go listen that was a great show I hope you're not offended when I say this but I'd nearly give you one earlier you're not that good now I've had that said to me so many times that there's lads out there going I swear if I had about 8 points I'd say you're I'd say you're an 8 I'd say you're a 7 pointer I'm a 7 pointer as Miriam oh Jesus but getting back to Langland Hardy but Paul would come to the house and we'd sit down right and next of all Carlin would come in and say he's right in the book it'd just be 9 o 'clock it'd be hitting half 10 quarter to 11 and when Paul tells the story he stands up yeah yeah me too and I stand up and I throw shaves and he throw shaves there's nothing getting done it's going on anyway but look he's just brilliant he's just brilliant in a way he's like his beautiful little dog the beagle stop don't talk about the dogs I know he died I know that but I didn't think that was a big deal well it was because I saw then a big article about it in the newspaper but I didn't think it would be I said it's only a dog I know but he was he was his companion he used to sit there while no he's lost two more oh yeah I was talking to him last week he bought two more dogs gone gone and I said I was out walking I said where was it did you have a funeral did you have a wake blah blah blah he was calling to me no Rod stop and then when I did a veggie cannon I said Paul are you upset I said I'm really upset Rod I said it's only a dog a dog will run off you and scratch on your rubbing's head and all he looks at you and you think jeez he loves me two months later someone else loves me he forgets about you it's a dog I don't care no dogs he loved those dogs and he did what does he think of this FIFA World Club Championships joke absolute joke players getting flogged to the bone it's going to be a disaster did you see the meme of Cole Palmer looking at Trump no ok so Trump appears on stage to present them with the trophy yeah and there's this photograph of Cole Palmer Cole Palmer looking at Trump like right basically how the fuck did this this orange yoke get onto the thing but this Cole Palmer at the best of times has a stupid looking face on him but can I ask something what is that an act what do you mean oh yes oh Cole Palmer Is he acting the actor?

38:29I think he is. Could be that. He is. To be that lacking, I'm that good on a football pitch. He's acting it. He's got a bit of a gormless face. Yeah. But he's smart. He's clever. He must be. Good. He can't be that. Do you remember, I'm of the opinion, right, that, I don't know if it's, okay, you'd know this better than me, right, but I have a theory. Yeah. Because I love sport and I love sports psychology. Yeah. And you know that we don't know a lot on earth about all the different levels of intelligence in humans. We know mathematical intelligence. Of course, yeah. We know Johnny in your class and honours maths who got 100.