Former Irons defender Julian Dicks has spoken of his time at the club as he reflects on what has changed since his days of playing.
The Terminator is a cult hero in east London, having amassed 262 appearances for West Ham over 2 stints between 1988 and 1999, and was known for his tough approach to football, making him revered and also feared by his opponents.
Dicks though, reflecting in his book ‘Hammer Time’ as reported in The Sun, looks back at how much the game has changed from what it was like when he was left-back for our Hammers.
“Back then you were concussed, it was, ‘It’s OK, carry on’,” said the former defender.
“You got cut, you got elbowed, my eye socket was cracked in four places. Nowadays it isn’t like that.
“When I played it was the best time. We could go out, we could drink, we had fun. I remember playing against the Crazy Gang (Wimbledon FC) and we had a 21-man brawl.
“It’s a passionate game. A lot of the passion has gone out of the game. Now you can get booked for using too much force. To me, that’s the biggest load of b*****ks in the world.”
A life in football has taken its toll on Julian, with the former defender now struggling in everyday life following the injuries he sustained as a player.
“When I done my knee the first time and I was told I was going to be out for 14 months I felt physically sick,” said Dicks.
“I could have threw up all over the surgeon. I ended up bordering on being an alcoholic, I felt sorry for myself. I’m going down the pub drinking, going home, going down the pub drinking and doing it all over again.”
“Basically my legs are f***ed. It stops you doing everything. I can’t ride a bike. I can walk into town with my daughter, but I can’t go on long walks.”
Dicks also reflected on a time when former manager Harry Redknapp when balistic at the players following a heavy defeat – with Don Huchison bearing the brunt of his fury.
“We came in, we’d got beat 4-0 by Southampton,” added Dicks. “Don Hutchison went, ‘Who wants salmon sandwiches after a game of football?’
“And Harry went, ‘F***ing salmon sandwiches’, and he just lugged them at the wall.
“The managers back then threw pots of tea, cups of tea, stuff like that. It was a common thing.
“These days you’d probably lose your job for that. But if you lose 4-0 you should be able to b*****k the players and they should be man enough to take it.”
MEET JULIAN DICKS
Julian along with former Hammers winger Alan Devonshire are the special guest for The West Ham Way Pre-Match Event ahead of our clash against Arsenal on Sunday 11th February.
