Julian Dicks
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Julian Andrew Dicks, (born August 8, 1968 in Bristol), is a retired football player. He played left-back for Birmingham City, West Ham (twice), Liverpool and Canvey Island. He was known as a hard man (his nickname was 'The Terminator') and tough tackler. He also possessed a cultured left foot and a fierce shot and was a regular penalty and free-kick taker. He was voted West Ham's player of the year four times during his time at the club.
He started at Birmingham in 1985 before West Ham bought him for £300,000 in 1988. Dicks was often cautioned and sent-off by referees. His first red-card was in a match versus Wimbledon in the Football League Cup in the 1989-90 season. It was an infamous encounter which included an on-pitch brawl between the opposing players. The following season Dicks first sustained the knee injury that would eventually end his career. Indeed, Dicks recovered from the injury remarkably quickly and returned in the second half of the 1991-92 season. But, despite his presence, the team finished bottom of the First Division. The 1992-93 season was an eventful one for Dicks, mainly for the wrong reasons. He was sent off several times and picked up a string of bookings which saw him miss large chunks of the season and he was subsequently stripped of the captaincy of West Ham by manager Billy Bonds. One notable challenge for which he was sent off was on Derby County midfielder Ted McMinn. A fans' favourite, Liverpool manager Graeme Souness bought him in 1993 in a swap deal that saw David Burrows and Mike Marsh go the other way. The move didn't work out and he transferred back to West Ham after just one season at Liverpool. On re-signing Hammers' hero Dicks, manager Harry Redknapp commented that he believed that his chairman thought "I was off my rocker" because Dicks was considerably heavier than when he had departed for Liverpool a year earlier. Dicks played a major part in helping to keep West Ham in the Premier League in 1996-97, including scoring twice in a pulsating London derby against Tottenham Hotspur at The Boleyn Ground that West Ham won 4-3.
Dicks had the honour of being the last Liverpool player to score in front of the standing Spion Kop, in 1993. He retired in 2002 after injury problems, took up golf and actually turned professional. However, the knee injury that ended his career could not take the strain of being a pro, and he retired and now plays recreationally. Dicks made 315 appearances for West Ham in all competitions, scoring 61 times.
Julian Dicks went on to run the Shepherd & Dog Public House in Colchester.
Dicks is still a cult hero at West Ham, the club that he follows to this day. Dicks was very critical of Alan Pardew's management of the team in the 2004-2005 season, a season which ended in promotion to the Premiership. Dicks has since acknowledged Pardew's achievements and admits he was quite harsh on the manager.
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