Julian Dicks

Birmingham City

He started his footballing career at Birmingham City, aged 14, having moved from his home in Bristol. Playing as an apprentice he worked his way through the youth and reserve set-ups before making his debut in 1985 in a 2–0 away defeat to Chelsea. In 1988, he was signed by manager John Lyall for West Ham United, for £300,000, giving him the chance of First Division football that Birmingham's relegation in 1986 had denied him. Although Dicks had been booked 33 times and sent-off once in all competitions, in his four seasons with Birmingham City, Lyall identified potential in the player enthusing "There was a great touch there. I wouldn't have signed just a physical player".

West Ham United

Dicks made his debut for West Ham on 2 April 1988 in a Division One game against Sheffield Wednesday. West Ham lost the game 2–1. He would go on to make eight appearances in the 1987-88 season, his first season with West Ham. The following season, he became a regular player and first choice left back for The Hammers, starting the first game of the season, a 4–0 away defeat to Southampton and playing 34 of a possible 38 games that season. The season also saw his first goal for the club in a 2–1 defeat at Highbury to Arsenal. It was a poor season for West Ham who were relegated to Division Two having finished one place off the bottom of the league in 19th place with 38 points. Relegation had seen the sacking of manager John Lyall and the appointment of Scot,…

Dicks made his debut for the England under-21 team in Lausanne, Switzerland in a friendly game against the Switzerland under-21 team on 28 May 1988. The game finished 1–1 with the England goal being scored by Paul Gascoigne. Dicks' performance convinced manager Dave Sexton to call him into the squad for the 1988 Toulon Tournament. He played in England's first game of the competition against the Mexico under-21 team in the Stade Mayol in Toulon on 5 June 1988. He was sent-off for a foul on a Mexican player. Undeterred by his sending-off, after missing one game through suspension, Sexton picked Dicks to play in the semi-final against the Morocco under-21 team and for the final against the France under-21 team which England lost 4–2. Four years later, in 1992, Dicks was called in to the England B team. He played only two games for the side; a 1–0 win in the Stadion Střelecký ostrov stadium, Budweis, Czechoslovakia against the Czechoslovakia team and a 1–1 draw in the Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow against the CIS team. In 1995 England first team manager, Terry Venables, was putting together a squad to compete in Euro96 in England. Dicks' performances had earlier given rise to journalists to call for his inclusion in the squad. Two further disciplinary events ended such calls. On 11 September 1995 he was booked for stamping on the head of Chelsea's John Spencer in a 3–1 home defeat for West Ham. Spencer required eight stitches in his head. On 16 September 1995 at Highbury he was…

Wivenhoe Town

Dicks returned to football on 5 January 2009 when he was appointed manager of Eastern Counties League side Wivenhoe Town, but left the club shortly after the end of that season by mutual consent.

Grays Athletic

Conference National club Grays Athletic announced Dicks as their new manager in mid-September 2009. In his first season at Grays, he was relegated from the Conference, whilst the club voluntarily dropped three levels to the Isthmian League Division One North. After finishing 10th in the following season, Dicks left Grays by mutual consent in May 2011.

Sealand

Dicks took take charge of the Sealand side at the Tynwald Hill International Football Tournament on the Isle of Man in July 2013.

West Ham United Ladies

On 19 June 2014, Dicks was appointed as a new manager of the West Ham United Ladies. His first competitive game was against Spurs Ladies. He helped to improve the team from their 10th-place finish that season and then to a sixth-placed finish in the 2014–15 season, along with a London FA Capital Women's Cup Final date against Charlton Athletic Ladies which West Ham ladies lost 5–0.

West Ham United

On 29 June 2015, Dicks was appointed first-team coach for his former team, West Ham United, under new manager and former teammate, Slaven Bilić. In June 2016, Dicks signed a contract to keep him on the coaching staff at West Ham for a further two years. When Bilić was sacked by West Ham in November 2017,…

Dicks was born in Keynsham Hospital, Bristol to mother, Carol and father Ron who worked as a fork-lift truck driver for Courage Brewery. Ron played non-league football with Keynsham Town, Welton Rovers, Frome Town and Shepton Mallet whom he would also go on to manage. Dicks attended Novers Lane Primary School, in Knowle, Bristol and Merrywood Boys Secondary School also in Knowle. At age 11 he was watched by former Tottenham Hotspur manager, Bill Nicholson who was scouting for West Ham United, but was turned down as he "was not quick enough". At age 13 he was spotted playing by Ron Veal who was scouting for Aston Villa. Veal recommended him to Villa manager, Ron Saunders, however Saunders lost his job at Villa on 9 February 1982. When he was appointed as manager of Birmingham City nine days later, Veal also changed his employer. Saunders was impressed when he watched Dicks play and he was offered a footballing apprenticeship with Birmingham City in 1982 when Dicks turned 14.