Complex sentence: His mother's boss, Mel Sharples was a needed father figure to him, since his own dad was dead; and it made Mel proud that Tommy was as popular with the ladies, as Mel seemed to think himself to be.
Split into simpler sentences: His mother's boss, Mel Sharples, was a needed father figure to him. It made Mel proud that Tommy was as popular with the ladies, as Mel seemed to think himself to be.