There were some hard footballers back in the 1990’s. It was a time when players could still get away with the odd ‘physical challenge.’ If you look through the rogue’s gallery of 90’s nutters you will see names like Vinnie Jones, Roy Keane and Stuart Pearce. There was only one man nicknamed ‘The Terminator’ though. That moniker may seem a bit over-the-top but Julian Dicks more than lived up to it.
To say the West Ham legend was intimidating was an understatement. He very much looked like that scary bloke down the pub that everyone is afraid to make eye-contact with. It wasn’t just the daunting appearance that earned Dicks his nickname. The full-back played like he looked, uncompromising, hard, and frightened by nobody.
He wasn’t just a tough tackler though. The left-back could play too and was capped at under-21 level for England. He came close to a full cap on several occasions but perhaps his reputation rather than his ability prevented that from happening. His unique penalty style was in-keeping with his approach on the park. His spot-kicks were hit so hard that even if the goalkeeper got in the way of them the power would probably have taken the goalie into the net with the ball.
Julian’s reputation was well-earned. His tough tackling led to an unenviable disciplinary record which in-turn led to missed matches due to suspension. His style may not have gone down well with the match officials but Dicks’ attitude endeared him to the Upton Park faithful. The Hammers’ skipper was the epitome of a player who wore his heart on his sleeve.
His reputation wasn’t just built on the pitch as his teammates often found out to their cost. Mark Ward went to take a shower when he was rooming with Dicks on an away trip. As Ward left the bathroom his room-mate was standing in the room ironing a shirt. As the unfortunate Ward, wrapped only in a towel, made his way across the room Dicks branded him with the scorching hot iron.
When Croatia defender Slavan Bilic joined West Ham as a player, you could be forgiven for thinking that the uncompromising Croat may be destined to clash with his new captain. The result was quite the opposite. The two men, feared by opposition players, were kindred spirits. Dicks tells in his autobiography of nights in the team hotel before away games. Jack Daniels and red wine flowed whilst the frankly terrifying double-act of Bilic and Dicks enjoyed a shared love of heavy metal music on the eve of matches.
Dicks was forced into early retirement by a nasty knee injury at the age of 29. West Ham took on Athletic Bilbao in a benefit game for their retiring left-back. In what could possibly have been the most fitting send-off ever, the game made headlines because of a 17-man brawl which broke out on the pitch. The only surprising thing about that fight was that Dicks wasn’t on the field at the time.
The former West Ham captain retains legendary status with the club’s fans to this day. Julian Dicks, the hard man’s hard man.