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JULIAN DICKS 1993/94 by Dave Usher Date of Birth - 08/08/68 Nationality - English Position - Left back Games - 28 Goals - 3 Club Hons (Lpool) - None Intnl Hons - England u21 caps Other Clubs - Birmingham City, West Ham United It's fair to say that Graeme Souness made many mistakes during his stormy tenure in charge of the reds, but the signing of Julian Dicks ranks right up there with the worst of them. Reports at the time claimed we gave West Ham a million pound as well as Mike Marsh and David Burrows. Surely one of the worst deals in the club's history? It's easy to see what Souness saw in the player, as he possessed many of the attributes that the Scot was trying to instill into his side. Tough, competitive, nasty even, but Dicks was also a highly talented footballer with a sledgehammer for a left foot. He was good on the ball, could pick out a pass and also had an eye for goal. Unfortunately though, he was also ill disciplined, lazy and a disruptive influence. It's not unfair to say that when Julian Dicks eventually returned to West Ham after a less than illustrious spell at Anfield, few people were sorry to see him go, whether they be fans, coaching staff or players. Often overweight, Dicks regularly suffered from knee trouble which hampered his training. He arrived at Anfield with a horrendous disciplinary record, but to be fair to him he managed to keep his notoriously short temper in check for the most part during his spell on Merseyside. There were numerous reports of training ground bust ups with the coaching staff, but on the pitch Dicks' behaviour was fine. Souness rated him highly, but as soon as the Scot was replaced by Roy Evans, the writing was on the wall for 'Dicksy.' Both he and Mark Wright were left out of a pre-season tour by Evans, due to poor attitudes and condition. Wright would knuckle down and to his credit forced his way back into Evans' plans, but Dicks' attitude deteriorated further and in the end the reds were mightily relieved to send him back to West Ham. He was a hero to the Hammers fans, and they were overjoyed to see him return. He continued his career at Upton Park for another couple of years, before eventualy having to give the game up due to persistent knee trouble. More info on Julian Dicks: ++ / LFChistory.net -- Past Present Future