Premier League legend, 55, now managing in non-league as he returns to club for THIRD spell in six years

JULIAN DICKS is back in football — and just as happy in the Isthmian League as he would be in the Champions League.

The West Ham legend has taken over Essex-based Heybridge Swifts for a third time and feels at home far below the top of the football pyramid.

Dicks, 55, said: “I love the blood and guts and mud of non-league. I just feel really comfortable in that environment.

“I also had great times and experiences working with Edin Terzic at West Ham and all the other league clubs I’ve been at.”

The ex-defender joked: “I couldn’t work with Edin at Dortmund, though — my German is s**t!”

Dicks grew up in the non-league environment and has also managed at Wivenhoe, Grays Athletic and West Ham Ladies.

He added: “If West Ham are away, I’d love it if some of the fans came down to watch us.”

The 55-year-old’s former colleague, Edin Terzic, is on the verge of a Champions League triumph with Borussia Dortmund.

Terzic, 41, hopes to complete his personal pilgrimage by beating Real Madrid to lift the iconic trophy in London tomorrow.

Discussing his friend’s impressive feat with the German giants, Dicks continued: “Edin is teetotal. I tried to get him to drink many times but he wouldn’t. He doesn’t need a drink to be happy and talkative, or anything like that.

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“I still speak to him now. I spoke to him the other day, I sent him a text congratulating him on getting through to the final.

“The Champions League final is a massive stage but it won’t affect him in that way.

“I am sure he will be very excited but he is very grounded.

“Every now and then he will send me a text and ask how the family are doing. I do exactly the same. I remember when he first joined he looked very young. He is only 41 now but he looked so young.

“We had Christmas parties for the staff but he has never touched a drop of booze and was adamant that he is never drinking.

“Did I expect him to get to the final of the Champions League back then? No. But nothing surprises me in football anymore.

“And it’s not just about Edin. To get to the Champions League final is a massive, massive bonus for any manager.

“I couldn’t say anything bad about him. He was a good coach. He was at Borussia Dortmund as a kid and didn’t make it through injury I believe.

“So, the next step was to be a coach. I could always see him being a manager because of his coaching, the way he talks to players.

“There’s a ruthless side in him, I think. I have never seen it but I think it’s there.

“And to be fair, if you are going to be a top manager, you have to have a bit of that.

“Today, dealing with players, you won’t be a top manager if you don’t have a ruthless side. I don’t mean shouting and hollering. I mean dropping people, stuff like that.”

Should Dortmund beat the odds and overcome Real Madrid, then nothing will faze Dicks’ old mate.

He added: “I can imagine him winning, celebrating after the game and then going home to relax with his missus and two kids — and maybe a coffee.”