'They killed the club' - West Ham legend Julian Dicks slams club's decision to leave Upton Park amid disastrous start to Premier League campaign

The Hammers left their iconic home ground Upton Park in 2016 after spending more than 100 years at the venue. The club sold the stadium for £35million ($46m) to Galliard Homes and moved to the Olympic Stadium on a lease. Like several thousand West Ham supporters, former full-back Julian Dicks was unhappy with the club's decision to leave their home as he claimed that the owners 'killed the club' by doing so. 

Speaking to The Telegraph, West Ham icon Dicks said: "I’ve got so many memories there. I know it’s flats now and people probably think: ‘Oh he’s f------ nuts.’ But I do. I park my car and just walk about. I miss playing at Upton Park, for West Ham, every day. I think about it every day… and I believe leaving Upton Park killed the club. It’s how I feel. Unbelievable. They killed the club.

"For what reason? They haven’t produced. They said Champions League and all this. F------ nowhere near it. They had a good manager in David Moyes. Wins a trophy for the first time in, what, 50 years? And they get rid of him. If it’s mutual then I understand if he went: ‘I’ve had enough.’ But if they were getting rid of him to push on, I don’t see it. Because he always finished in the top half, he won the trophy. Now they are on to their third manager since he has gone. The grass ain’t always greener."

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Dicks, who spent 10 seasons at West Ham as a player over two stints, returned to the club in 2014. He managed the West Ham women's team for a season before joining under Slaven Bilic as a first-team coach on the men's side. In 2017, he left the club following Bilic's sacking and is yet to return to his beloved club. 

When asked if he plans to return to West Ham someday, Dicks said: "If it was Upton Park, I would go. Olympic Stadium? No. They’ve asked me to be a club ambassador and stuff like that but nah. They are trying to do things on the cheap and if other players do it, then good luck to them. I’m not going to be part of that. I could do it if I wanted to but I choose not to because I think they’re taking the p---. The fans know how I feel about them. I do Q&As and stuff like that. I had a great career. I met some really good people and we lived a footballer’s life."

The Hammers were struggling at the start of the 2025-26 campaign and had won just one game out of their first six matches across all competitions. The disastrous start led to the sacking of Graham Potter from the head coach's role in September, as they brought in former Nottingham Forest and Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo. The Portuguese coach took his time settling in but has now somewhat brought stability as they remain unbeaten in their last three Premier League matches, including wins against Newcastle and Burnley. They will aim to maintain the unbeaten streak as they take on reigning champions Liverpool on Sunday in the Premier League.