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On face value Julian Dicks' arrival at Anfield from West Ham in
September 1993 seemed a good signing. Liverpool had struggled to fill
the left back berth so prominently occupied by the likes of Joey Jones
and Alan Kennedy down the years. The present incumbent, David Burrows,
had drawn comparisons to Steve Nicol after his arrival but by the start
of the 1993-94 season some felt he had failed to live up to such early
promise. A player plus cash deal saw Burrows and Mike Marsh, who had
also filled in on the flanks, go in the opposite direction in a total
deal valued at £2.5 million.
A disciplinary record which had seen Dicks
dismissed eight times and cautioned on a further 20 occasions during his
career hid the fact that he was an accomplished and skilful defender.
Graeme Souness, no stranger to the physical approach in his own game,
played down his past, preferring to predict a glowing future for his new
acquisition. Of his three goals for The Reds only one, a rasping drive
against Oldham Athletic, came in open play. The other two were
penalties, the last of which gave Dicks the distinction of being the
last Liverpool player to score in front of the old Kop when he converted
a spot kick against Ipswich Town early in April 1994.
The Reds failed
to find the net in either of the two last games played before the famous
old terrace. He lost none of his aggression and retained his good eye
for distributing the ball, with his sweet left foot, but struggled with
the positional and tactical demands Liverpool expected of every player.
After Souness' resignation Dicks found himself cast out of the new boss
Roy Evans' plans and just over a year after joining The Reds he was sold
back to The Hammers for £1 million. (Darren Williams)
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