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Sam Roberts: This episode of Minds on the Mersey is brought to you by SLM GP, your affordable private GP in the heart of Liverpool.
Sam: Coming up on this week's episode.
Richie: I'd rather have a hard on and be insane than be sane. No, I'm not I look older that fucking paper hand in Chernobyl.
Sam: No, this is my mate. He's clearly not all right. He needs a hug. he's always been a someone who's divided opinions, hasn't he? James McLean,
Richie: it takes about three and a half minutes at best. Right.
Sam: Fucking AD exactly. But you've put how many months have you put that off for?
Richie: About six weeks up to now.
Sam: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Good work. Well done. Good job. something else I don't understand as well, right? Is lollipop men and ladies, right? Who operate a a a crossing. Yeah, what the fu what the fuck is that about?
Richie: With track lights. With track lights. With track lights, yeah. What
Sam Roberts: You're listening to Minds On The Mersey, the podcast's all about strong minds, real talk and positive mental health for men. ⁓ We're breaking down barriers, smashing the stigma and having the kind of open honest chats that really matter. ⁓ From everyday struggles to stories of strength, ⁓ this is where conversation meets connection. ⁓ I'm your host Sam Roberts and this is Minds on the Mersey.
Richie: Well, well, well, well. Episode twenty one with Richie and Sam. Hey.
Sam: Whoa woah woah woah woah woah woah woah
Richie: Sweet.
Sam: woah We don't say the episode numbers anymore, do we? You shouted at me for that. No, we don't say the episode
Richie: Is that?
Sam: numbers anymore, yeah, don't say episode numbers, are we gonna 'cause every time I'd come on I'd be like, We are hi, welcome to episode Sixteen And then you were like and then you were like just just don't say the episode numbers and then you've
Richie: As cause we don't fucking know.
Sam: just come on and gone, Welcome to episode twenty one I'm like
Richie: Well, 'cause I remembered.
Sam: I was fucking glad somebody did, mate, 'cause my head's cabbaged, I can't remember anything.
Richie: But I'm not gonna lie, mate, it's Wednesday, it's been a long week. It's been a long week. And like
Sam: It is Wednesday, mate, and it has been a extremely long week, as people will find out later. I am knackered.
Richie: honestly as well, like we've got the first storm the first name Storm of the Year coming in, Storm Austin or whatever it's called. Com Austin, yeah, come that's
Sam: Is that what it's called? Austin. Austin. Who the fuck's Austin? Why Austin?
Richie: I don't have a clue, mate, but it goes up in alphabetical order for it, like, doesn't it or whatever? So that's landing and like obviously they've got scaffolding up everywhere and shit like that. So it's just been it's been it's been a day prepping really, making sure everyone's behaving themselves 'cause they're just idiots.
Sam: And keeping people safe, Richie, is what you're doing, which is important work.
Richie: No, no no I
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don't no but like it's the amount of like this d to be fair, the a lot of them just get it. It's just the odd individuals like, well, why have you gotta do that? Well listen, it it it might be going a bit OTT, but let's just do it. I'd
Sam: Yeah. Yeah.
Richie: rather be safe than sorry. Like, you know, so don't judge what I mean. So Health and
Sam: A million percent, absolutely.
Richie: Safety has gone wild, like but you know, anyway. Episode twenty one, Sam. Here we are.
Sam: Anyway, episode twenty-one. How is everyone doing? I hope we're all I
Richie: Yeah.
Sam: hope we're all good. I hope we're all good. as usual, this episode is proudly brought to you by SLM GP. SLM GP are a private GP in the heart of Liverpool. They are on Duke Street in Liverpool, run by Tom and Sam. They are absolutely amazing lads. They're brilliant. Go and check them out at slmgp.co.uk. There's also a portion of our website dedicated to them at mindsonthemersey dot com on our sponsors page, go and take a look at them there as well.
Richie: So guys, we're now recording from home because we're both very, very busy this week, which is apparent. But I must warn you all, if you see me looking down to the left, it's cause Rambo, the cat, is causing fucking murder. And I've kicked him out for
Sam: Obviously.
Richie: I've kicked him out three times already and he keeps on getting back in. So I've got a f I've like Bucky. So
Sam: Jesus.
Richie: and he w every time we go to pick him up, he let he legs it and then he comes back in because he knows he's gonna get banned.
Sam: Got your number, hasn't he? Absolutely got your number.
Richie: Yeah. maybe d ripped the curtains and everything has any of the shit. So as we know,
Sam: I'll see here. So
Richie: Sam, I pay so much attention to the agenda that you put together.
Sam: Yes, that I spent hours doing.
Richie: I have actually added stuff this week, but I can't remember what I added.
Sam: Jesus Christ. You have added stuff this week and you can't remember what you've added. Unbelievable.
Richie: So I'd actually let's just start from a subject very close to me with
Sam: Go.
Richie: my ADHD woes and troubles. So
Sam: Yes. Yes. Well that is first on the agenda. I'm glad you've gone there. That's very good good prep that, Richie. Well done. Great prep, mate. Great prep. See who says we're
Richie: So well there we go, there we are. There we are. Yeah. So
Sam: not professional, they're full of shit.
Richie: Yeah, exactly. It's full of shit.
Sam: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Full of shit.
Richie: So been so so the ADHD meds on a whole, in terms of like my attention, my mindset and all that,
Sam: Yeah.
Richie: over overall very good. But the side effects like not being having to have a sit down we Well they started to get like the so they lowered me down and then they said, right, barb wise, your we getting better. So well, yes and no, but you know, will you really cause your height, weight you need to be on. So they put me up a bit more. 'Cause
it y they slow your building up in stages, so they wanted so I never ever reached the maximum what I should been on, if that makes sense.
Sam: Right. Yeah.
Richie: Anyway, my willy stopped working. I got erectile dysfunction and
Sam: okay, okay, yeah.
Richie: and like and like it was and then my weighing got even worse and like it became to the point where I thought I could also get a UTI and I'm like
Sam: Yeah. Yeah.
Richie: I'd rather have a hard on and be insane than be sane. That's a clip. So
Sam: Clip it.
Richie: so I've gone back to them. We are in talks. We are like going to exploring lower dosages again and obviously check all that sorts of stuff. But for the time being, I've just like, you know, I've said this. I'm gonna have to stop it because of like, you know, it could lead to other health issues, not to mention The or the general. My manhood.
Sam: Yes.
Richie: So and that's where like so that's where I'm currently at. Overall though, Atomoxetine or something like that's called really, really, really worked in terms
Sam: Amazing.
Richie: of my headspace. But like, you know you can't just you you'd have like it's you'd have like no sexual desire or anything either why why you're taking it and stuff like that. It's just a bit it's it's just a bit strange to be honest with it's such a strange feeling, you know, so For the time being. So I've gone on to these little these little dopamine patches just to try and ease like my madness in between. And th the the the the working so so. Do you know what I mean? I'll take the so so for now until we sort out the medication and talks with the doctor and stuff like that. So yeah. That's really where that's up to. That's so
Sam: So the medication that not long ago you thought, Yeah, they're doing really well, they're really working for me, they're sort of you know, we you're getting on dead well with weren't you? You the sort of last update on was like, you know
Richie: I st I still I wanna s want to stress the point. In terms of my mindset and stuff, I still was. But
Sam: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Richie: obviously, like, you know you can't just go around like there, like with like not being able to weep properly or not being able to like become erect or anything like that. Do you know what I mean? So it's
Sam: Yeah, of course.
Richie: like it's it's it's obviously it's a double edged sword and stuff like that, 'cause obviously you have like there's the benefits and stuff of ha of of sexual intercourse and all the other Stuff that comes with it. Not to mention not being able to weep properly. That's that's that's also concerning. So
Sam: Yeah, that's that's not good, is it? It's not good that.
Richie: no. So that's where that's up to for now. I'm gonna keep you updated through this entire journey 'cause we started it. And
Sam: May as well go there, aren't we?
Richie: yeah, no, and but you know, so for the time being I've stopped it. And yes, I have noticed
Sam: Yeah. I s it's on it's understandable though,
do you know what I mean? Like you need you still obviously you said that it's open you mentally and that's that's great, that's fantastic, that's what they're designed to do. But you still need to have a quality of life while while you're at that point, don't you? Do you know what I mean? You still to have that sort of you know.
Richie: Yeah, so so I just I just so I just left. So so I've spoken to them. Like, you know, we've we've come to the but it wasn't just my decision either. We I was st speaking to the doctor. I said how about we just put a pin in it? Like, you know, I don't really want to go into a lower dose. I wanna get them out of my system and then j start building back up and maybe get a happy medium with them. I said, But look, I don't want to use the eye infection either because the weighing isn't great, Jeremy. And like nowhere to lie, I for about seven or eight million pisses a day. And it's a pain in the ass having to sit down all the time. Don't know you women. Nah and it's not, you know, it's
Sam: That's age. That that's that's age, that Richie, you know. It's
Richie: like when when I'm not on the tablets, I'm alright. You know, I'm only 35.
Sam: Fair enough.
Richie: Do you know what I mean? So it's it's it's
Sam: Plus ten.
Richie: No, I'm not I look older that fucking paper hand in Chernobyl. Do you know what I mean? But I did that I'm actually alright. So
Sam: dear.
Richie: yes, that's that's that point really. I just wanted to like I don't know if gonna cr I've now sort of like glossed over it because I'm like not I'm not so much embarrassed but I'm just it's just a bit like mm, you can't get a hard on, can you, Rich? You know, and I'm
Sam: Whoa, you know.
Richie: not I'm not embarrassed in the slightest. I will say that, but I don't wanna air all the gory details and stuff on minds on the merity.
Sam: When when you weren't getting hard on Mrs. Richie was either really delighted or really pissed off, one of the other.
Richie: I don't know. I don't know, mate. So anyway. Anyway, moving on, moving swiftly on.
Sam: Moving on, I wanted to bring up something. I I'm not suffering with that, so that's fine. but I wanted to yeah, we'll ask Catherine later, see what she says. something that I wanted to bring up. I don't know whether people have seen it on the internet or any sports fans have seen it in general. But the snooker player Mark Allen, bless him, he is going through a absolute rough patch. He's he's not well, bless him. he has been checked into a a mental health ward for I think about the last four weeks and then he sort of checked himself out to get himself ready for the a snooker tournament, in his home city. he's from the north of Ireland and he was playing his best mate in round one. So he got himself sort of out and got him trying to get himself ready for that tournament and he lost to his mate. He lost to him for two. Go on.
Richie: Do you think sorry Sam, just just just just to jump in there, right? Do you think he
left hospital too soon? We can get in I know we
Sam: mate, let me yeah, he definitely did. So basically so he lost this he lost this match to his mate and then he was being interviewed afterwards and I think he used the words I'll put the link to the to the if I can embed the video into this episode, I'll play it here now so you can watch it. If it didn't come up I couldn't do it and it's just us, sorry. but I'll put the link in the description as well. he he basically used words like, I think I'm checked out, think I'm done. sort of really negative language. You could just see in his body language and the way he was. And the the the presenter, the TNT sport presenter who who was talking to him handled it unbelievably well, by the way. She was superb. She was absolutely brilliant. And it almost tur it it almost went from being a sporting interview to just peop to two mates talking. And that she sort of changed it from that sort of official Like you see him on the telly when they're being interviewed, it changed from that to, No, this is my mate. He's clearly not all right. He needs a hug. I need to tell him I love him sort of thing. And she handled it amazingly well. But yeah, for
Richie: That's amazing.
Sam: for Mark Allen to come out and sort of speak and say, Yeah, I am struggling. I've been in I've been in a a a mental health ward recently. I need to get myself better for my family. You know, he's got a daughter, he mentioned his daughter, and he just sort of said that, you know, he's He's struggling and and to it's a really brave thing to it's a really brave thing to admit that you're struggling just to people that you love, but
Richie: Johnson Rice. What is what
Sam: to do it o out in the public like that mate is I'll tell you what, it's brave that mate.
Richie: What he's just done has saved his life. That's the hardest
Sam: Potentially.
Richie: thing that's the odd saying that on to millions of people, however many people watching, is will be
Sam: Yeah.
Richie: the hardest thing he's ever done.
Sam: Yeah, and the bravest. To do it like I say, to do it in front of people
Richie: Yeah, honest to God.
Sam: that you love is odd. But to do it in front of well, people watching
Richie: The wealth.
Sam: and it's gonna go viral on on the the internet, isn't it? 'Cause you know it's a really touching it is a really
Richie: Hope it does. I hope it does and I hope it gets the health.
Sam: touching moment and yeah, I hope he gets this help the help that he needs and I hope that I hope that he really I hope that he really gets the help he needs and that he really sort of he gets to where he wants to be. Do you know does that make sense? Do you know what I mean? I want him to you know, I don't want him to to suffer. He he's clearly suffering and yeah, I I don't want him to, basically, bless him. But yeah, Mark Allen. So if you maybe get onto Twitter and send him a little message, you know he's on he's on X, sorry it's called X now. he's put a couple of messages about it out on there. Maybe
Richie: There's a lawsuit from Elon Musk coming in.
Sam: Maybe, yeah, right. Yeah, Elon Musk listens to us. Yeah, yeah. yeah, get on X and just go and send him a little message and, you know, maybe a little bit extra support, tell him how brave he is for doing what he's done and you know, I just sort of sent him one. He probably won't ev not ever read it, but you know, if he does, just sort of said on mine, you know, Well done for what you did, very brave of ya.
Richie: That goes for all you other fellas, women, anyone, really anyone listening at all.
Sam: Yeah, man, absolutely. Absolutely. It's
Richie: Reach out, go the help help is there if you want it. It
Sam: Well, so the
Richie: can be hard to find, but if you d like you know, sometimes but we're here. Give us a message, I'll ring you up and have a chat to you for a bit.
Sam: So sticking sticking to sticking to the north of Ireland and in and sticking to sport, it leads us on to our next subject. And this person certainly divides opinions. It's James McLean, the footballer who has divided opinion many times. It's the lad who refused to wear a poppy. he said for political reasons, which caused a lot of aggro. I mean that's got that's nothing to do with
Richie: It's it was but it was bloody suddenly wearing it. Bloody suddenly.
Sam: me. I that's not my
Richie: Yeah.
Sam: place to say. What my place is to say is that he has come out and basically said he's told a mental health charity basically has offered to meet footballer James McLean because he told a newspaper that speaking to a psychologist would s would make him seem weak. So he basically said that he's never spoken to a sports psychologist because he would feel weak if he did so and speaking about your feelings as a man makes you a weak man if you do, sort of thing. Which isn't helpful to anybody. It's not helpful to anybody that, do you know what
Richie: What not so? No.
Sam: I mean? Yeah, no offence, James, mate, but I totally disagree with you and I think you're full of shit. opening up opening up and speaking
Richie: You can't say you can't say that until you've walked a mile in someone else's shoes, can you? Jeremy, he's
Sam: Hundred percent.
Richie: just being he's just being I mean, I'm gonna say it, he's being a cunt.
Sam: Yeah. Yeah. So
Richie: Tag them in this video. No, there's no need for that. Like there's so many people need help and like I'm struggling to like I'm struggling to remain
Sam: He p so basically
Richie: composed right now because that's proper boil my piss because someone I'm so we've both suffered, Sam. Do you know what I mean? We've
Sam: So Yeah, exactly. Exactly.
Richie: both had to speak to people. We both have to like, you know, I'm thinking about going and seeing someone anyway, just just to have a chat. Do you know I mean? There's mental health first aiders in my work. I I talk to them quite regularly. Even if I'm doing even if I'm doing okay, I go and have a chat
with sometimes. What fancy the chats? Do you know what I mean?
Sam: So this this came out because
Richie: once
Sam: he spoke about his wife's view that he had built up anger and frustration and that he had bl which he blocked out, to which the interviewer then asked him, Have you ever tried any sort of therapy? And McLean responded that he had heard his brother, which is a fair fellow fellow Derry City player, Patrick McLean, on a call with a club psychologist having a lovely chat, and a lot of the players speak to him, and for me that's just weak. As a man, I see that as a weakness. I don't need to open up. I see it as a weakness that I'd have to speak to somebody about my feelings and my emotions.
Richie: I think he just needs educating.
Sam: Yeah, I think he does. Definitely.
Richie: When he realizes like how many ment men's mental health charities and mental health charities just in general out there, he'll realise that you might he might might think, okay, fair enough. Just 'cause he's never like he might to be fair, it sounds like he does need the therapist, but there's no need to be a cunt about it. Do you know what I mean? Just y you d y in
Sam: Well well, e
Richie: the in the position that you're in there, like
Sam: You've got a position there to show to lead by example and to show people. But the problem is he's he's n he's always been a someone who's divided opinions, hasn't he? James McLean, he's always sort
Richie: You think
Sam: of stirred the pot. Do you reckon he's doing it for
Richie: I think he's that could he be could he be attention seeking?
Sam: Wow,
Richie: Yes, certainly
Sam: who knows?
Richie: could he could. Do you know what I mean? Like is he does he need a few quids? Does he need an interview to news the world? Do you know what I mean? Like it's yeah. There's no need to be a dickhead like that though, that's what
Sam: Well it
Richie: that's what's f like there's there's v there's some s the way you way the way it's come across to me is there's some sort of venom and malice in what he's said and I'm like, you haven't got a fucking clue, mate.
Sam: Even his wife has come out and said on on X, I do not agree with James' opinion on the subject of therapy and mental health, adding that the footballer was struggling at the moment and has been for some time. He may not agree with me for sharing that, but I've told him that I need to explain this. I'm working on getting him a p to a place where he recognises that speaking about it is not a sign of weakness, she said. This is his own wife. It's been a daily battle in a year where I feel he hasn't been given the support that he requires when he's clearly struggling, she said. Well, maybe he's been offered the support, he just doesn't want to take it, clearly, 'cause he it's 'cause he s he still sees it as a sign of weakness, like mental. Do you know what
Richie: That's okay.
Sam: I mean? You've got you've you've you've got
Richie: Why don't we invite him on the podcast?
Sam: I wouldn't want to invite him on the podcast, not gonna lie, I think he's an
Richie: Nice.
Sam: arsehole. So I mean it would be an interesting interview like, but
Richie: It'll be a fucking it'll be a fucking row and I'll call him a con.
Sam: that's it. So Yeah, yeah, basically. But yeah, I just you've got Mark Allen who's coming out on national T V and saying that he's struggling and needs help and stuff, and then you've got this fella coming out and saying that it's not healthy to get help, so mental,
Richie: No.
Sam: mental. yeah, I just think James McLean, mate, I think you need some education there because yeah, I think what you've come out and said is potentially dangerous and
Richie: He needs to go he needs to go down the shop and get himself a fucking dose of reality. To be
Sam: Well.
Richie: quite honest with you, go down the chemist, get yourself a dose of fucking reality. Honestly, that's
Sam: Yeah.
Richie: boil like there's no need for that. He's basically just he's a person in a position who can afford any therapist he wants. He's obviously in a dark place and stuff like that, but don't be a dick about it. You're in a you're a public person, you need to just keep your opinions to yourself. Like you might some some fellas out there, people with Very good mental health. If you haven't suffered mental health, probably think Joe, me and you talking on it, you'd probably think pair of fannies. And okay, everyone's entitled to their opinion. Everyone's entitled to their opinion. That's absolutely fine. But don't go broadcasting it on w what on whatever platform he's done it on. Just just shut up, mates, and go go and get on with your career.
Sam: Well yeah. Well I think the problem is I think his career's struggling at the minute. He's gone to Derry. He's playing at Derry and there's a dispute over wages or something, so I d I think he's refusing to play. So maybe this is just a grab for attention to highlight his struggle. I don't know. Not a clue.
Richie: Hi guys, like we said earlier, some exciting news. Our podcast now finally has a sponsor. Where are we, Sam?
Sam: We're down on Duke Street. We're in Liverpool. We're down on Duke Street on this beautiful sunny day. it's gorgeous, isn't it? Absolutely gorgeous. Got my shades on, must be nice. No, you're gonna burn your head. we are down here on Duke Street because our brand new sponsor, SLM GP, are based on Duke Street. really convenient, close to loads of public transport. it's quite easy to get to, and it we found it that easy to get into today. the SLM are a private GP. And we're gonna go in and talk to Tom and Sam in a minute and they're gonna talk to us about what it is they offer and the reason why they wanted to partner with us. these guys offer loads of services, but one of the main ones they do is they do the the health checks for the taxi drivers and the medicals.
Richie: and that medicals for like visas for people coming into the country and all
Sam: But they offer loads of
stuff. Gonna go in, we'll talk to them and let them tell you about what it is they do. Right guys here we are inside SLM GP this is your local private GP in the heart of Liverpool we are on Duke Street and I and Richie are with Tom and Sam another Sam get in happy days Tom just quickly for our viewers and listeners tell us the reason why you want to set up your own private GP center
Tom: Yeah, we wanted to set up a service that complements the NHS and offers affordable, accessible appointments including evening and weekends to make services accessible for people with busy lives and commitments.
Sam: 100%. So it's like I work Monday, Friday, nine to five. I said it's almost impossible to get an appointment outside of those hours, but you guys offer that service for everybody.
Tom: Yeah and we can do appointments in person here or if needed we can do them remotely as well if that's easier for our patients. So yeah we're flexible. Our main face-to-face clinics are on a Friday and a Saturday and then we run remote clinics during the week as well.
Sam: Amazing, absolutely fantastic.
Richie: Sam, so why mine's on the mazey?
Sam GP: Well, I think the thing that's really great for us about you guys is that it really complements a lot of what we believe in and what we kind of want to focus on. So you guys focusing on mental health and mental health, you know, we recognize that that's an area that, you know, is important and we want to partner with someone who has similar values to ourselves. We also like to work with kind of local communities and people who are helping out in that way. So it's a really perfect match for us. And said, aligns really well with what we want to do. Yeah, I'm really looking forward to partnering.
Richie: Amazing. That's amazing. These two here, they're our new sponsor. How about that?
Sam: Absolutely happy days. To find out more about the range of services on offer, please visit slmgp.co.uk. That's slmgp.co.uk. Thank you very much to Tom and Sam for being Minds on the Merseys' main sponsor. Anyway, Richie, you wanted to have a rant about money.
Richie: Yes. Over to me. Right, no and
Sam: Over to Richie. Richie's mate, we can start a new feature. Richie's rant. Every week. You have a rant about
Richie: no, this is this
Sam: something?
Richie: this has properly done my heading, to be fair.
Sam: go on. Go on, Richie. Tell
Richie: I've actually seen it on a clip on something else and I can't remember what it was, but let's say Sam, you're twenty one, I'm sixteen. We both work we both get minimum wage working at a shop. I'm not gonna mention any shops. You get paid more than me for doing the same job just just because of your age. Why is your time more valuable than mine?
Sam: Don't know. But I mean
Richie: It's fucking
Sam: if I'm being paid more than you, I think they've made the right call, like, regardless. But you know.
Richie: Fuck off. No, no, no, no. This is proper serious side. So young people always get the shitty end of the stick. Do you know what I mean? Like all these people coming through now, nine times nine, like buying a house for them would be fucking impossible. Do you know what I mean? Like
Sam: Yeah.
Richie: the house prices, the the rental market's extortionate. They're gonna put themselves in university and get be seventy grand in fucking debt. My little cousin Reese told me today he is £70,000 in debt. He's just finished uni, right?
Sam: Jesus Christ.
Richie: And I'm and I'm sat there thinking, fucking hell mate, you are never gonna buy an house. Right. So and to
Sam: Never.
Richie: t to to add insult to injury, we're both doing the same job in a f in a in a in a place of work, Sam. You're 21, I'm 16, you get paid more than me. Just keep on fucking kicking them. Just keep on kicking them. Like this minimum wage, bollocks, pay them what the if if the job's all right, aside from qualifications and all that cabin. If we and you both start work on the same day in the same shop, you you're twenty-one, I'm sixteen, you get paid more than me, that's not fucking fair. I might be better than you at the job anyway. Who knows? Listen, the show everyone should be paid the fucking same. This whole minimum wage bollocks needs fucking off. Because that that and you know, young people as well, they're already we're s we're seeing loads more coming out of like more and more A D C deferrels, no diversity referrals and all that. And these people, these young kids leaving school and stuff like that, they're not getting they're not getting a fair crack of the whip. And but
Sam: Yeah.
Richie: to be fair, looking back over the years, that minimum wage thing, it's a it's a load of my ass. It really is. And that's all I've got really. Like, what's your opinion on it?
Sam: Well, yeah, I agree. I think I think if somebody is more qualified than somebody else, I think that that person should be paid more than that somebody else, because I think that person's worked hard to get a qualification and I think rightly so. That's that's fair enough. I don't see why age should determine somebody being paid more than somebody else in the same job if they start at the same time. I don't understand that at all. I think that that is wrong, potentially. Yeah. Because like you know, as you say, you you don't even need to be sixteen. You could only you could be you could be twenty. I could be twenty one. Because you haven't hit the twenty one threshold, you paid less than I am. Doesn't you have to be sixteen?
Richie: I don't know what the exact figures are. I did have a screenshot of it, but I'm obviously using my phone to this 'cause we're our own. So I
Sam: Yeah.
Richie: can't get all the facts and figures. But it is it I think it's a moral injustice on society. 'Cause
Sam: Wow.
Richie: like you know, th the they're not like like people might think, some pe some sixteen year olds might not get on with the pay and stuff down, they've had to leave home. And now
Sam: Yeah.
Richie: they're
trying to make it on their own and that's and and good on them. Go and make it but but they can't even make a decent living out of it. 'Cause they're getting
Sam: Yeah.
Richie: paid this minimum wage, which is like so many fucking pounds less than someone who's older and it and it's it's such it's so shit and it's just
Sam: It is it is shocking, like it is absolutely shocking. It it's I agree
Richie: I
Sam: with you, mate. I totally agree with you. I was just trying to play devil's advocate a little bit there, but no. I agree with you. I don't why why?
Richie: Listen, I'm not gonna like you know, qualifications and maybe some experience and stuff like that and longevity gets you so far. But if you're both starting on the same day, you know what I mean? Or like even like even probation periods you get paid the same amount at the end of the probation period. Do you know
Sam: Yeah.
Richie: what I mean? Like, you know, we'll we'll pay you minimum like, you know, we'll pay you probation wage and then we go on to national living minimum wage, which should just be set at a flat rate regardless of your fucking age.
Sam: I mean, maybe well, I don't I mean, at that age what they could do is say, right, you start at sixteen, at sixteen you haven't got any post school qualifications 'cause obviously you're only sixteen. But well say for example, so when I w came out of school, I went to work and I work five days a week and I went to college one day a week, working towards my VQ level two. So maybe you change it and you go, right, at sixteen you start at that. Once you hit an VQ level two, your wages goes up to that and then if you hit a level three, it goes up to that because People are working hard to get those jumps, those qualifications, do you know what I mean?
Richie: Yeah, I mean I mean I mean look, I'm not I like I'm not gonna obviously there's loads and loads and loads. This is gonna be quite con like I wouldn't say controversial, but there's gonna be loads of different ways of looking at this to say, Well hang on, what about this set scenario, what about this scenario? There's gonna be millions of different scenarios, but let's just say on let's just break it down to its simplest form. If you s if me and you start a job on the same day and you're slightly older than me, we should still be paid the same.
Sam: No, I agree. I agree. Yeah.
Richie: And I think I think this national minimum wage stuff just needs to be put to bed, like just pay everyone the same, like from that like 'cause it's so it's too expensive to fucking live these days. You know, the
Sam: Yeah.
Richie: energy and the price caps going up on energy and all that sort of stuff. So it's it's like don't get wrong, I've I've still got a coat on in the house. I've literally just put the eating on. Do you know what I mean? Like and I'm not being a minge bag, I just forgot I I I haven't set it properly on my phone.
Sam: You are being a minge bag you weapon.
Richie: I'm not being a minge bag.
I I just haven't like 'cause it's been off all summer and I just keep on hitting the boost button on the hive app instead of setting the schedule up 'cause I just 'cause I've got ADHD to keep fucking forgetting.
Sam: Yeah, it takes too yeah, it takes too long to do that, doesn't it? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, of course it does. Fucking AD exactly. But you've put how
Richie: It does it takes about three and a half minutes at best. Right.
Sam: many months have you put that off for?
Richie: About six weeks up to now.
Sam: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Good work. Well done. Good job. Yeah, I think coming off those ADHD medication has definitely been the right
Richie: I I've been on them for the last five weeks and they haven't I still haven't fucking done an have I bollocks.
Sam: Well you are why come on, while you're on a while you're on a rant, come on,
Richie: Fucking four eyes.
Sam: while you're on a rant, tell us about fucking we're all being dug up.
Richie: Yeah. Right, so I I I drive around one of different parts of the world, right, and it's been during my fucking heading. Every road like I can't get out of Wallacey for no love nor money. It's just fucking road works fucking everywhere. And then like they they've now dug up so there's a road, Fingwall Road over there, that's been dug up. Pen Erby Road's only just fucking reopened. Where else? Fordell coming th coming down over Bidston where the four hundred three seven bus route goes. That's been f temporary lights fucking everywhere. town what knock knock you out, Nock Torham Avenue. Again, roadway, it's gonna be there for ages. The fuck are they doing? Gas works, just dig a hole. We've got technology. I honestly got I know a guy, right? Mike the Mole. Lives he doesn't
Sam: It would do it for ten quid. We'll do it for ten, huh? It'll be done in a week.
Richie: honestly I think I could throw a brick and it is outright. It's it's dark honestly, right? Honestly, he he digs a hole to he he installs water mains sometimes for me through work. He digs a hole, puts his mole in and it goes and then he digs a hole where it wants to pick it up and he fucking digs the fucking thing out. These cunts have dug up fucking free streets where for fucking It's absolutely insane and they they've had all fucking summer and by the way, traffic is lighter in the summer, a hundred percent is because people are on Aldi, some people are taking time off work, they're going out early and stuff like that. But then they start it in the middle of fucking winter. Right. It's and the weather's changing. Those holes they're digging, they're gonna be full of fucking water. It's rained for two pissed down for two days here. Do you know what I mean? no. I'm sick. I I fucking hate traffic lights. I drive about a mile the wrong way home sometimes to avoid red lights. Between my between my house and my head office in Birkenhead, there's seventeen sets of fucking traffic lights, not to mention temporary roadworks. It's only seven miles. Bastards.
Sam: You're okay.
Richie: No. I need to get back on the meds.
Sam: Do you to have a chat? Try to go for a pint.
Richie: No, Max. But you're honest, it even on the medication, right? I'm getting stuck in these lights, right? I'm not messing. I'm sitting there thinking fucking hate this. We can laugh about it now, can't we?
Sam: Do you know what traffic does my head in? You know like on the motorways when the motorway just slows down to fuck all, mate, I can't deal with it, does my head in.
Richie: Don't know what does my head in middle lane fucking hoggers. You know you've you know you fucking are.
Sam: mate. mate. They should all be go they should all be sent to prison for life. Do my heading. So dangerous. It's so dangerous. Unbelievable.
Richie: And also on the will, I don't know if I was over your over your way, Sam, but just those are twenty mile an hour zones. Stop doing sweaty, get in my fucking way.
Sam: North Wales is only twenty miles an hour everywhere you go. Every road now in Wales, if that used to be thirty, is now twenty. Menzel.
Richie: Loads of places. Don't you know something like they need to just do variable speed limits. If it's around the school between half two and half and and four o'clock, slows down to twenty. No problem, mate. No problem at all. But why don't you stick a traffic warden there while you're there to get all the mums who park and dads who park like fucking twats, right? After RSN sticking out and stuff like that, block up fucking bus stops and the bus has gotta stop in the f I'm gonna go on here. I need to stop. We need to call this a night now. It's gonna f this whole episode with me calling people all over the place, Nobbets.
Sam: Something something else I don't understand as well, right? Is lollipop men and ladies, right? Who operate a a a crossing. Yeah, what the fu what the fuck is that about?
Richie: With track lights. With track lights. With track lights, yeah. What happened to
Sam: Sure
Richie: kids being able to press a fucking button?
Sam: Surely you need a lollipop man or lady to be where there isn't a fucking crossing already. Like that's the whole point of them. Is that not the point of them or what? I I
Richie: Listen, I I don't wanna say that peop I don't wanna make people redundant here, but that does seem pointless to me. I'll I sit there at the lights and and John or something as well, right? D sometimes they don't even do it when the people got kids, they do it for the fucking mums and dads as well. There's no fucking kids there. Fucking cra
Sam: Yeah, that annoys me. That really annoys me. Yeah, the kid the kids have been dropped off and the lollipop man stands in the middle of the road to cross a fucking forty year old fella across fucking do one. Anyway.
Richie: No. Do one mates. I'll run I'll sort right one of these days it's gonna come up in the papers. Richie Whelan runs over, lollipop man letting over fella.
Sam: Feel better now.
Richie: I've had a honest god, mate, it's
been a fucking proper long week this week. I'm in a twat of a mood and all you're getting it, you can fuck
Sam: I d I I didn't even I could didn't even realise, mate. You couldn't tell. You couldn't tell.
Richie: Yeah, honestly, I reckon today I've done about sixty-five miles and I've I haven't even left the whittle.
Sam: Unbelievable. Unbelievable. So, whoa. Now you've got your rants out of the way. Like, you know.
Richie: I mean this that could be easily triggered again. Samuel, I wanna make that point very clear.
Sam: Or you probably will be. Do you remember the other week when we talked about we were gonna go on well, I think it was last week actually, we talked about we were gonna go to Central America to go and get offer faces on drugs.
Richie: Mate, I explained to you. If I went on a look at me right now, if I went on a bad trip, I would not come back and I'll I'd still be in the same spot.
Sam: Well, so I said that it would be interesting to get the lads from SLM G P's opinion on this and I messaged them and they got back to me. So I just put a message to the guys and Sam got back to me and I'll read what he said. So he put obviously I explained to him about people going on these retreats. For people who that makes if this is your first episode, on our last episode me and Richie discussed people going to South Central America to go And try psychedelic drugs for their mental health, benefit of mental health, like on retreats and stuff. So I asked yeah,
Richie: I mean it's I can see the points.
Sam: I asked the boys about it and they put this, so I'll read this to you. It's an interesting one, Sam. I think there is some evidence that microdosing of subs some substances can help mental health. There are some clinics in the UK that do this with ketamine for depression, but I think there is also some evidence for microdose microdosing psychedelics. However, it clearly isn't risk-free and I don't think that the evidence literature is fully there yet. I would be especially cautious if travelling abroad, where it may be unregulated and any doses may be variable or the substance might not be clearly known. there is always risks with the psychedelics that it could actually worsen mental health too. Which is all sort of what we said, wasn't it? at the time. But that's a professional an a an actual
Richie: It's nice to have a GP firming for confirming mine and your medical opinion, Sam. No.
Sam: Absolutely, absolutely. Maybe we could do the job.
Richie: Great that's great of SLM GP, you they just sound hard in our group chat.
Sam: Yeah.
Richie: We asked, we do do pop up a fair bit with some mad questions, but so there is people are doing it in the UK, but like I'm I mean it you must be pretty you must you must be pretty
Sam: I dun so it it's ca
Richie: bad.
Sam: it's in a controlled environment and it as he put it's micro dosing, so it's literally minimal doses. It's not like
Richie: Also but
Sam: enough to get you off your head or do you know what I
mean? It's just literally
Richie: But also he's all he's also said there that the basically the evidence isn't there, it's a fully supports
Sam: Yeah, there's not enough there's not enough research been done and there's not enough he say also putting not enough literature, so people haven't written enough about it to un fully understand it, do you know what mean? So but yeah, it was nice to get an actual professional opinion on on something. also on the last
Richie: And there I and and and there we are, guys? Minds on the Mersey. Professional medical advice from an actual GP source. Who would have
Sam: Yeah, like there you go. See this it was
Richie: thought that when we started this,
Sam: for me and him, this it me us two idiots, do you know what I mean? yeah, that would be good, isn't
Richie: Speak for yourself.
Sam: it? Well, you know, I'm just
Richie: I could black by ways to be a brain surgeon.
Sam: You probably could actually. You probably could. on the last episode, Richie, our amazing guest Max said that you need to set yourself a goal to work towards and then we can monitor how good you're doing and what you're doing. So have you set your goal?
Richie: Yeah, so my aim is to return to football two eleven aside matches twice a week before the end of January. So I have got a few little medical issues. I've now got a bunion, right?
Sam: Basic.
Richie: Like and I I know it'd lie it some of the worst pain I've ever had. So I'm currently going I'm currently seeing my GP, not SLM GP, me NHS GP over that. at the moment. So I'm I've I've got like do what the the women who are watching on I've got those fingers in between my toes to try and spread
Sam: yeah.
Richie: and bend it back that way. So and whilst I'm doing that I'm also curing my plantar fasciitis and
Sam: Okay.
Richie: which I got which is weird because when tore me off it basically my doctor said I've been running differently so I've now started hurting my heels. So my aim is to be back playing two times a week, eleven aside, Mondays and Thursdays by the end of Jan.
Sam: Okay, cool. I love it. We'll keep an eye on that.
Richie: And so in January I basically wanna at least I wanna be playing from about the middle of January onwards, but I'm not gonna say I'm gonna last the whole ninety minutes.
Sam: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Richie: But my aim is to be there thereabouts. So
Sam: Amazing. I love that.
Richie: that's that's that's me goal.
Sam: Absolutely love that. I love that. Absolutely love that. while we're talking about goals and stuff, it's time for Time four.
Richie: Isn't working. Performance issues, Sam, I know all about them.
Sam: no. Yeah. It's time for it's time for
Richie: Yeah. All right, sorry, easy cyber.
Sam: It is time for weekly wins and fantastic fuck ups. How good's that? That's good that I like that having asked boss. I
Richie: It's still forking playing.
Sam: know, yeah, don't worry about it. It's all good. send your weekly wins and fantastic fuck ups to mindsonthemersey at
gmail.com or submit them via our amazing new website, mindsonthemersey.com. go
Richie: So I wanna go first.
Sam: ahead, go on.
Richie: So as we all know, I'm now hooked on fishing.
Sam: Yeah, you are.
Richie: You can have your fucking little theme too, and I can have my shit jokes. Fuck off. Right? Anyway. So I I went looking for a fishing bag 'cause I'm sick of like taking five or six different bags and trying to hoy them all and like wrapped round the ear, wrapped round my neck, wrapped round my fucking other arm, and my rods and all that sort of stuff. So anyway, so I bought a fishing bag which I can get them all in and I got it for a bargain from Parkfield in Mells and They really helped me out and that's it. So I'm really made up with that fishing bag then. But also it was like it had a little rip in it and stuff like that, which I fixed myself and stitched it back up because that it was reduced because it had the rip in it and stuff like that. So it's really, really, really good deal. So I was kind of made up about that. And then me fucking fuck up is I stood in dog shit three times today.
Sam: Wow. Where were you walking? Fucking hell, in the kennels.
Richie: I was walking across guy like 'cause like when it's pissing down, you don't really want to be walking round all the pathways that go fucking d the most direct route across the grass. So
Sam: Yeah.
Richie: yeah, sudden dog shift three times.
Sam: Yeah, that is a fantastic fuck up, isn't it?
Richie: Not as good but the best fuck up though was when I did piss on the back of the cat's head.
Sam: Yeah, of course. Yeah, that's right up there. so my weekly win is so I have been on my brother in law's stagdo. The weekend just gone.
Richie: Yeah. Well he's not your brother in law yet then, is he? You still might change
Sam: No, not yet. He will be.
Richie: your mind.
Sam: If it's marrying my sister, he probably will to be fair, like Love you, Marie. Only joking. Love you really. sorry.
Richie: Yeah, fucking hell. Definitely. Sorry. Horry.
Sam: no. So went it was down back home in Exeter. Original plan was I was gonna drive, right? Fucking probably six hours of a stop there, six hours back. Thought to myself, on the Sunday, I'm not gonna be in any fucking fit state to drive for six hours. It would be dangerous, it'll be ridiculous. Not worth the risk. So I pay I bit the bullet and I paid hundred and forty quid to get the r train return, right? Exactly.
Richie: How much we've spent in fuel up?
Sam: It would have been about hundred and ten, hundred and twenty quid anyway. So for the extra
Richie: At least two tanks that it's least two tanks that in it.
Sam: Yeah, it is, yeah. So it's for the for for the extra mate, it was well worth it. But the fantastic fuck up was there was fucking rail works on the railways on the way back on the Sunday. So on the way down it was Liverpool to Birmingham, Birmingham to Exeter. Peace peace, happy days. On the way home, I had to go from Exeter to Newport in South
Wales, Newport to Crewe, and then Crew to Liverpool. While I'm hungover to death, I got to bed at three AM the night before. I was the last man standing on the stagdo ended up walking home on my own 'cause I got chatting to two lesbians and everyone else fucked off. So it was just like fucking unbeliev like
Richie: That hey, that's your that's the that's that's the name of your new podcast. Two lesbians 'cause everyone else fucked
Sam: Me and two lesbians. they were lov by the way,
Richie: off.
Sam: the loveliest girls I've ever met, so accommodating, absolutely gorgeous girls they were. They were phenomenal, they were brilliant. So anyway, end up walking home young. So that was my fantastic fuck up was the fact that I had to get this mental fucking train change three times, blah blah blah. But it was the only way to get home di wou without getting on a bus,
Richie: I don't assume that that's what
Sam: right? But the weekly win was So I was due into crew at six thirty-one. There was a train due to depart for Liverpool Lime Street at six twenty-four. But that six twenty-four train was delayed by eleven minutes. So rather than having to wait for an hour in crew to get the next Lime Street train, as I got off my train, the Lime Street train arrived like three minutes later. So I got an hour earlier train. So that was my weekly win.
Richie: super something I'm gonna sound like a proper snobby, you know, I hate public transport.
Sam: it's it's heavy, you know. It's heavy. When I got on that train at Newport to go to s to crew, I think it was going all the way up to Scotland potentially this train. And mate, it was fucking heaving. Abs
Richie: Yeah.
Sam: I was going to Manchester, sorry. It was packed. For the first two stops I was stood up. It w I couldn't there was no seats. Yeah. Honestly, mate.
Richie: Hung over to death. I can I I fucking and John Summer, when you're when you're when you're drunk, you're a bit of a social butterfly. When you're hung over, you don't want to speak to anyone. You wanna eat some shit. Yeah. Yeah. Just fucking leave me alone.
Sam: mate, I just want to watch my headphones on, listen to a podcast, just fucking honestly, horrific. Travelling for eight hours, do you know what I mean? Hung over, it's just not it's just not good. Do you
Richie: I would have stayed an extra night and drove back.
Sam: know what? I'd wish I did, to be honest with you, that's not a bad shout. It would have been a not a bad shout, but there you go. Hey ho. we've had a couple of weekly wins. Not as many as last time, but we've had a few and we've had a couple of fantastic fuck ups. So a fantastic fuck up from Ryan. He face he faceplanted the floor whilst having one too many on the stagdew. And I'll insert picture here so you can see it. yeah, on the first night of the stag dew on the Friday night, he went a bit too mental. Went home. And literally like all of his forehead, all of his forehead up here, all scraped. He literally,
Richie: needs to get a clear for himself. You can't be falling over when you've had a bevy. You can't be falling over when you've had a bevy.
Sam: when he faceplanted, it's almost like he put his hands behind his back and just went. I'll I'll use my forehead to stop the momentum of me falling over. It was hilarious. Well done, Ryan. Good work. Good job. Good job. my weekly win, got that. You've got your brand new fishing bag and we've had another weekly win sent in from somebody called Catherine. and she finally got to the bottom of the washing basket with absolutely no help from Sam whatsoever.
Richie: Someone called Catherine.
Sam: So, I don't know who that Catherine is. She sounds like a right psychopath. So,
Richie: Yeah, we need to block her. She can't do anymore, she's fucking nuts.
Sam: Yeah, yeah. I w I think we I think we ban her from listening to the podcast, to be honest with you, 'cause if she keeps sending in weekly wins like that she can shove right up her ass. Anyway, love you really, Catherine. I'm only joking. Have you seen it all kicking off in France?
Richie: No, mate, honest to God, mate,
Sam: mate.
Richie: who was I so just before you get into your story about France, I I only heard today about like some like like some things Trump's been up to and shit. I am s Honest to God, mate, I don't wa I no no, but
Sam: mate, I don't don't get involved with that fucking lunatic.
Richie: I don't even watch the news, mate. Like, I really don't. I and I I think I might need to start 'cause like I'm so far behind in like modern politics. I didn't know Andy Bern was fucking prime minister. Like I'm not gonna go that far.
Sam: Only two weeks after he came in though, like yeah, yeah.
Richie: I I I mean, I wasn't like, you know what I mean? Like but I need to start paying more attention to what's going on in the world.
Sam: Do know what? So basically in France it started off as young people protesting, like school conditions and stuff like that. And then it grew to young people who have left school and saying there's not enough affordable housing, the cost of living and all this sort of stuff, and it's just gone from there and it's gone absolutely fucking mental, mate. They've been rioting in Paris, it's fucking gone while but
Richie: Don't know something amazing. I do like the French because right for this for this very reason, right, like 'cause they'll kick off and stand up for them, so don't agree with the violence. But like I remember a few years ago they went on about putting like the prices of fuel up and they all just stopped on the motorway. Fucking l love that. Fucking
Sam: Yeah, parked their cars in the streets and left them and walked home, yeah. Mate, honestly, they
Richie: love that.
Sam: when they get pissed off about something, they absolutely have the right way of dealing with it, you know, like they don't fuck about.
Richie: Just go and beat an absolute. Don't fuck about go and block the entire fifty three off. Do you know what I mean? Like
love honest
Sam: Ha ha ha.
Richie: to God, love it. So I don't agree with the violence. The violence isn't the way forward for my opinion. Gotta have these peaceful protests to get your points across because you kind of lose the model high ground when you start acting the fucking goat. So no, all for that. Peaceful protest. Calm down a little bit, but let's get your points across and I hope that I hope they get what they what The right conditions to live in.
Sam: Well yeah, it's about school conditions and stuff and classrooms, schools are falling apart, they're not happy about that, the conditions aren't great, affordable housing, very similar to here. There's how much fucking affordable housing is there here? There's fucking next to none, do you know what I mean?
Richie: made the waiting lists absolutely astronomical. They really are.
Sam: So obviously I live in the I live in central Liverpool, not too far from the city centre. And there's some workies around the corner from us doing some work in a house. And I got chatting to one of them, can't remember what about or whatever, but sort of said, what is it you're doing in there? You're changing it into a HMO or whatever. He's like, no, no, no. We're just doing it up for two lads. There's two lads who are from London who own like loads of properties in Liverpool, and every time they buy one, we go and do it up and then they rent it out. And I'm thinking, Fucking hell, mate. So you got people from London coming to Liverpool to buy houses to fucking rent to people. It's like fucking hell.
Richie: Yeah, but they're getting they're getting London wages and stuff like that. So they're able to buy.
Sam: Exactly.
Richie: Because like obviously like But
Sam: Exactly.
Richie: again, but if they're living in London, they're obviously paying down there. I'm not I'm I'm not opposed to landlords and stuff like that. And I'm not opposed, but let's make it the pits
Sam: As long as you don't take the fucking piss though, 'cause a lot of can take the absolute piss out of people, mates. And usually it's the people
Richie: yeah, no.
Sam: that are struggling the fucking most, you know what I mean?
Richie: Hundred percent. Like there definitely there definitely needs to be more laws and stuff like that. And hopefully with like the AWABS law and H healthy home health H H S R S it's called and stuff like that, hopefully like the the the housing standards on paper should go up, but whether they do or not, I like you know, it is that is what it is. I can only speak from my time as a when I was a surveyor for the local social housing company on the widow, you
Sam: Yeah.
Richie: know. like the amount of damp and mold cases and stuff like that. And now they're bringing in more excessive heat, excessive cold. Trip hazards is coming next year. So the the rules are stacking up. But it's always seems to be the social landlords seems to get it worse than the private landlords. They need to start getting the private landlords. But it's having the bodies and the people to be able to fucking inspect that they're doing a good job. So really
Sam: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely.
Richie: it's g it should really come down to the to the letting agents. The letting agents should be given more power against the landlords who they're representing. 'Cause if the letting agents
Sam: Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Richie: stop renting out your property 'cause you're a bit of a sco a slum landlord, you're not getting your money soon, you're getting fucked off, you get blacklisted from all the meaning.
Sam: Yeah, a hundred percent. No, I'm with you, mate. I'm with you. Absolutely, absolutely.
Richie: So maybe that's something that the government needs to look into, like, you know, is that is giving letting agents like Leslie Hooks and all them, fucking Carl Tatter and all them, giving them
Sam: Mm. Bit more power.
Richie: powers and also I'm not gonna say grants, but giving them like, you know, the ability to ha employ someone who can go
Sam: To actually help people, yeah.
Richie: to so and then you can go around and say, Well, listen, like we're collecting your rent for you, you're not doing that property up properly, that property's not a standard. So we're gonna take thirty percent of your rent this month and give it back to the customer for the for for their living conditions. But we're
Sam: Yeah. I like that.
Richie: still getting our full our full like keep as well. Yeah. So you
Sam: Yeah, the income. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm with you.
Richie: can like, you know, so go and go and fix that front door, go and fix that fucking hole in the roof. Do you know what I mean? That's what maybe that's something you could look into.
Sam: Absolutely. No, I agree. I agree. I had a little message. So for people who listened, I think it was last week. Yeah, it was last week, episode twenty. So we had a little insert last week with a guy called Macaulay, from the Prevention Project CIC down in Plymouth. So the Prevention Project is a gambling awareness charity and he delivers sessions in schools to children. He delivers sessions to people who have come to him and need the sessions and help. And he spoke about he's got a crowdfunder going at the moment, because he's trying to raise I think it's fifteen thousand pounds bic
Richie: Insert here.
Sam: because he he wants to basically keep it he doesn't want money to be a barrier to people who need the help, which I think is absolutely phenomenal. And Macaulay's a great lad. And he sent me a little message yes today with a little update. So to give you a little update on how he's doing. So last week alone we delivered a we delivered to two hundred and thirty students. Had 14 students come through for one for one gallon recovery help, received over thirty new inquiries and met with four new schools, all while having a six-year-old with chicken pox and a parent in hospital. So fair play, mate, for still cracking on. That's incredible. Yeah, so
Richie: He's got a
lot on his place, Addie. Got a lot on his place.
Sam: but he's still obviously so passionate about it, so and he's still cracking it. currently our crowdfunder stands at £2,505. With £2,400 further pledges to be paid in the next ten days. With a seven further 7.5k from the council due in the same timescale. Of all those donations and a few extras, we are tracking towards £13,000. £2,000 short of our target. Just a reminder that if we don't hit the target, it's void and we get zero and miss all the extra funding on top. Making gambling making gambling harm prevention free for a year in our area every day. We have new in every day we have new inquiries and it's vital that these fund we get these funds to continue. We are so close. So if anybody can please consider a donation, however small, please get in touch. If you go to crowdfunder.co.uk and search the prevention project, it'll be on there. Even if you can only give them a quid, it'll get matched. So your quid will turn into one pound fifty. So if you can give him a fiver, seven pound fifty. So If you if if you can help him, go on and send him a little donation because the work he is doing is phenomenal. as he sort of said on when he came on the episode, gambling's almost sort of the accepted addiction. It 'cause you know, it's you can't really tell. As he said, you can tell if somebody's drunk and you can tell if somebody's a drug addict fit by visual clues. You can't tell anybody if they're a gambling addict, they just look like a normal person and it's hard, man.
Richie: To be fair, mate, I've actually seen some like people like going to get the method and they're wearing like a shirt and tie and they look absolutely fine as
Sam: Yeah, yeah.
Richie: well. Like you wouldn't you wouldn't have known, but no, gambling's serious, gambling. The all all addictions are serious. You know what
Sam: Yeah. Yeah.
Richie: I mean? So guys, if you can donate
Sam: Yeah, man. If you can donate to him, please go on and just do a little donation to to Macaulay and the Prevention Project CIC because the work they're doing is fantastic. He is genuinely helping lots of people. And I think the education in schools is a big thing, man. Kids f if kids are taught from an early age about gambling and he listen, he he he said when he came on, he doesn't want to stop people from gambling. It's fine. You can have a little bit of fun and you know, when you go to the races and but but keep it fun.
Richie: I'm shit I I'm shit at it.
Sam: Keep it fun, man. It's not you know what I mean, keep it fun. So
Richie: I thought Liverpool's got
Sam: So yeah.
Richie: beat last night.
Sam: Did ya? They almost did. They tried the best, but you know, there you go.
Richie: Rajel Van Dyke played a fucking blind. I thought he'd he's he he's done me a good on here, this kid. I just I don't know why Sam had just had an inkling that you'd get beat, honestly.
Sam: Yeah, well, we came back. Florian mate, Florian Verts, who's got suck so much stick, came on in the second half and absolutely ran the second half. He was superb. So anyway, he's not. He's world class. He's world
Richie: Es ist klappt, es ist fucking knapp, es ist klappt, es ist klappt.
Sam: class. Richie, don't make me get a new co host, he's world class. Stop it.
Richie: Mate, honor no no Amy out here, right? Amy out. He's he's good in the Champions League 'cause he's the he's not playing in the Premier League. When he plays in the Premier League, he's fucking crap. But that's your bread and butter. He's gotta go. Shit. Like Isak as well, Isak's a fucking donkey, you know. It's just it's
Sam: Sure, he sacks I'm sure he sa scored five goals in six games, but yeah, okay. Absolute donkey.
Richie: Well though you hang on a second, mate, you went on the other week about being undefeated and all that sort of stuff, right? When I actually look back at that, 'cause someone else you played like fucking Ipswich Town and fucking shit.
Sam: No easy games in the Premier League, mate. No easy games in the Premier League. No easy games in the Premier League, mate. So
Richie: Fuck off mate. Liverpool should be though. No no no. Yeah, I'm not ba no no no. Liverpool is shite.
Sam: Okay, cool. No worries. No problems. So we'll see. We'll see. Time will tell. Time will tell.
Richie: You won't finish in the Champions League this year.
Sam: Do you think we'll do top four no? Top five even. I think we'll finish top five. I think we'll finish top five.
Richie: No, no. I don't.
Sam: Little bet.
Richie: Tana.
Sam: Yeah. Yeah. All right. Tenner. There you go, yeah. Virtual handshake. There we go. Tenna. Tenner. Sorted. Cool. I t I know. Yeah.
Richie: Tenor. Tenna says they won't bring it. We asked our mates at the project over gambling. Fucking hell.
Sam: Yeah, we're surely having a little bit of laughter who makes in it, do you know what I So it's all good. Macaulay would approve of that but to be fair, like he would be fine with that, so
Richie: Actually, no. Not a tenner. But had
Sam: go on.
Richie: an idea.
Sam: go on.
Richie: We've Wina's gotta take the other person off for a meal.
Sam: The winner's gotta take the winner or the loser?
Richie: The loser the loser's gotta take the winner off for a meal.
Sam: Right.
Richie: Not drinks and stuff, just the actual all you've got to pay for is the actual main course. And
Sam: Right.
Richie: not not in anything daff, just in like a nice little like fucking
Sam: I was gonna say we're not talking like fucking two Michelin star, fucking fifty quid a course, fucking
Richie: No, no, no, no, no. Just like just like go like we'll go out for we'll mean you'll go out, we'll have a bevies and we'll get something to eat. And losers just gotta pay for the something to eat, whether that
Sam: Sound. Yeah, I'm up for that. Yeah.
Richie: be like I don't know, just like a burger somewhere or like Joe, like a like steak and chips somewhere, too. That'll be you, you fucking minge bag. you fucking s I'd fucking throw
Sam: Yeah. Or a happy meal if I lose. Yeah, Richie, here's your four nuggets and fries and your and your fruit shoot.
Richie: it at you.
Sam: Yeah, I'm up for that.
Richie: I'll set up a tripod and I'd fucking throw it at you, mate. Yeah, sound. There we are. Okay.
Sam: I'm up for that. I'm up for that. Definitely. Yeah, that sounds like good that sounds like a good one. Cool. Right, listen guys, it's just me and Richie this week. We didn't bother with a guest 'cause we we wanted to do you know, we're both a bit busy and we just thought this would be better. You've got an hour out of us almost, so you know, we we can waffle sh nonsense if we want to, you know. But yeah, no guests this week. So next week we not next week, the week after, 'cause obviously every two weeks, silly boy. yeah, we should be having a guest then. So you won't have to listen to us too for too much. You know, but somebody interested'll be coming on. Actually talk with some sense rather than just ranting about fucking potholes and the whirlwell or whatever. So you know Don't get him started on the potholes, fucking hell. Shit. Quick go before he starts on the potholes. no, no, no, no.
Richie: Hmm. More than potholes? I've even mentioned potholes. Don't get me fucking starving. Honestly. I reckon I reckon if I no, no, no, no. Listen, mate, the amount of potholes I avoid though by weaving down the road, I must be adding on like two or three miles a day to my genes.
Sam: god. I definitely think we should have a Richie's rant every week, honestly. Fuck me. I can make a little jingle for that as well.
Richie: We'll see. guys, if you want to do some feedback, some feedback on Richie's rants, you know, if and they will continue. If not, if you don't give me any feedback or you say they don't want to get in, it's I'm fucking co-hosting, still fucking continue. That's where we're at. Yeah. Exactly. This is a fucking dictatorship.
Sam: Yeah. Do what we want. We do what we want. We do what we want. Jesus Christ. Right, I'm going to get some dinner 'cause I'm starving.
Richie: Fucking hell. But yeah, that yeah, that get me off here before they start thinking we're in that Germany.
Sam: Yeah, with that. See ya later guys. Love ya.
Richie: See you later guys. Peace out.
Sam: We've got some exciting news. We've got merch baby. We have merch mate. Look at this.
Richie: We've only gone and done it again guys like you know considering we're only what's this now 12 episodes. We've got me Who do we think we are? What's the website some
Sam: The website is t-shirt studio dot com forward slash marketplace forward slash MOTM.
Richie: and the the link of the they could be on the need for this well the link up on the screen. is unbelievable. They are really good quality. Richie's got the shirt in black there. We've got the t-shirts that come in black, blue, which I'm wearing, white and red. Which the quality of them is really really nice. The printing is really really good. We've got a tote bag here.
Sam: Honestly, the quality is amazing. Yeah, we'll put the link up on the screen. The quality is unbelievable. They are really good quality. Richie's got the shirt in black there. We've got the t-shirts that come in black, blue, which I'm wearing, white and red, which the quality of them is really, really nice. The printing is really, really good. We've got a tote bag here.
Richie: Who do we think we are? We've also got hoodies, adults and kids. We've also got a kids t-shirt. We've also got a mug. And we've also got a bucket hat. Festival season coming up. Got a bucket hat. I do want to stress and I do want to say, any money made from the...
Sam: Who do we think we are? Unbelievable. Look at this, look. We've also got hoodies, adults and kids. We've also got a kids t-shirt. We've also got a mug. And we've also got a bucket hat. Festival season coming up. Got a bucket hat. I do want to stress and I do want to say, any money made from the... sales of this merchandise is going straight back into the podcast so we can pay for things like equipment, software, all that sort of stuff. We're not making any money off it. It's just so we can keep making this podcast. So please go and check out the website if you can spare a few quid and buy a t-shirt to, you know, show you love us. That'd be amazing. The website is t-shirt studio dot com forward slash marketplace forward slash O T
Richie: sales of this merchandise is going straight back into the podcast so we can pay for things like equipment, software, all that sort of stuff. We're not making any money off it. It's just so we can keep making this podcast. So please go and check out the website if you can spare a few quid and buy a t-shirt to show you love us. That'd be amazing. The website is t-shirt studio.com forward slash marketplace forward slash O T