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Where have football''s ''cult figures'' gone? In the sterile and corporate modern game, is there room for the mercurial midfielder or the tough-tackling defender or the pot-bellied goal poacher? Rewind two or three decades. Footballers had no media training, no filter, no 5% body fat, no cryotherapy chambers, and no quiet nights in with a curly kale salad and a glass of carrot juice. Meet Julian Dicks: undoubtedly one of the greatest ''cult figures'' to play for West Ham United. Hammer Time is Dicks'' hugely entertaining romp through his career and an open love letter to the unique character and atmosphere of West Ham United and East London.
About the author
Although not an East Ender by birth, Julian Dicks became an honorary 'Iron' courtesy of two memorable spells with West Ham in the Eighties and Nineties. Eleven of his 14 years of professional football were spent with the Hammers: his legacy there embraced 326 appearances and 65 goals, and he was voted 'Hammer of the Year' in 1990, 1992, 1996 and 1997.
Dicks could certainly play, but it was his presence on the field as a snarling, shaven-headed, tough-tackling talisman which endeared him to the West Ham faithful. Affectionately nicknamed 'The Terminator', his unstinting aggression, energy and never-say-die attitude embodied the spirit of the club and the pride of its fans.
Dicks also played for Birmingham City, Liverpool and Canvey Island, served on the coaching staff at West Ham, West Bromwich Albion and Watford, and managed Wivenhoe Town, Grays Athletic, West Ham United Ladies and Heybridge Swifts.
