Dicks loves to reminisce on his West Ham United playing days by visiting Upton Park - despite the club not even playing there anymore
(Image credit: Getty Images)
West Ham United may have a new stadium they call home now, but that doesn't stop Julian Dicks from reflecting on his playing days from over 25 years ago at their old ground.
Upton Park, the home of West Ham between 1904 to 2016, has since been demolished in the seven years since the Hammers last played there, making way for a new development.
That doesn't stop Julian Dicks driving to where the old ground stood, though, to reminisce on his playing days in east London.
West Ham United played at Upton Park between 1904 and 2016 (Image credit: Getty Images)
"I gave 100 per cent in every game, wore my heart on my sleeve and never backed out of a tackle," Dicks tells FourFourTwo. "West Ham fans appreciate that.
"They could tell I loved the club. I honestly think about Upton Park every day. Every six months, I drive down to where the ground was, just to be there for a few minutes, then I drive home. I still love West Ham so much."
In total, Dicks spent 11 years at West Ham across two spells, scoring 64 goals in 315 competitive appearances.
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In the middle of that, the Englishman spent a solitary season in 1993/94 at Liverpool, enticed by then-manager Graeme Souness and the fact he was a straight-talker. However, the Scotsman was soon sacked, with Roy Evans later taking over.
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Unfancied by the new manager, Dicks reveals that he wishes he never moved to Merseyside, though he fortunately got his return to West Ham, where he continued playing until his retirement from professional football in 1999.
Clearly, his affection for the club remains, because nearly a quarter-of-a-century after leaving them as a player, he continues to return to the site of many happy memories.
Dicks loved his time at Upton Park (Image credit: Getty Images)
Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.
