Alan Dicks

Alan Dicks (born 29 August 1934) is an English retired footballer and football manager. He managed Bristol City for thirteen years and managed clubs in four countries on three continents.

Born in London, he signed for Chelsea at the age of 17, though his playing time in the first team was limited to 35 matches in six years, during this time he completed his two years national service with the RAF and so only played one game in Chelsea's 1954–55 championship season. In 1958 he moved to Southend United, and in 1962 joined Coventry City as assistant manager/coach under Jimmy Hill.

In 1967 Hill recommended him for the vacant manager's job at Bristol City. He took the job at the age of just 33, and held it for thirteen years. In that time he consolidated City's position in the Second Division, and eventually, in 1976, led them to promotion to the First Division – then English football's top flight. During his spell as manager the club also made the semi-finals of the 1971 League Cup and won the 1978 Anglo-Scottish Cup. Dicks remained as manager throughout City's four-year stay in Division 1, but relegation and a poor start to the following season saw him leave in October 1980. Subsequently, City suffered three relegations in as many years.

Dicks also managed Ethnikos Piraeus in Greece, Apollon Limassol in Cyprus and in Qatar (where he won the championship with Al-Rayyan Sports Club).

He managed Fulham for one season in 1990–91 having been initially recruited to help manager Ray Lewington. It was his first job back in English football for over a decade. The team's performance was poor. They finished 21st in the league (a position which normally would have seen them relegated to Division Four, though they were saved from this fate thanks to league restructuring) and were eliminated from the FA Cup by non-league side Hayes. Things appeared to be going better in the following season, but a run of five successive defeats near the end of 1991 saw him sacked. After leaving Fulham he moved to the United States and subsequently became head coach of Carolina Dynamo and then Charleston Battery in the A-League.

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