still on the ground. Barely three months passed before his third dismissal of the season. In January 1993 after two bad fouls on Derby County midfielder Ted McMinn he was sent-off, having to be escorted from the pitch by teammate Clive Allen. Despite his disciplinary problems he earned a Division One runners-up medal as West Ham reached the Premier League. Despite his dismissals he played 34 league games of a possible 46 in the promotion season, scoring eleven goals, placing third in the list of highest goal scorers for that season behind only Clive Allen and Trevor Morley. Premier League and Liverpool transfer Now playing in the Premier League for the first time, West Ham struggled in their first seven games. New signing Simon Webster had a long-term injury having had his leg broken by Dicks in a training session accident. Fellow new signee Dale Gordon had failed to make the impression on the side his transfer had intended. In a move engineered by West Ham's then-Assistant Manager Harry Redknapp, Dicks was transferred in order to bring in new players. Liverpool manager Graeme Souness, on the recommendation of Redknapp, watched Dicks play in a West Ham match against Swindon Town on 11 September 1993. Souness thought Dicks to be "my kind of player" and signed him for Liverpool that week in a swap deal which involved David Burrows and Mike Marsh moving to West Ham. Extra money received by West Ham from the transfer was used by Redknapp to buy veteran striker, Lee Chapman. Dicks' signing had been part of an effort by Souness to "toughen up" the Liverpool team as he had planned to pair him with fellow hard man, Neil Ruddock. Dicks' debut on 18 September came in a high-profile game against local rivals, Everton at Goodison Park. In an eventful game, Liverpool lost 2–0. Former West Ham players, Mark Ward and Tony Cottee scored with Dicks' mistake on the ball allowing Cottee to control it and score. The game was also memorable for the on-pitch fighting of Liverpool teammates Steve McManaman and Bruce Grobbelaar. By now a regular in the Liverpool side, Dicks scored his opening goal, a shot from 25 yards, in a 3–0 away win against Oldham Athletic in January 1994. His discipline had also improved and he had yet to be booked whilst in Liverpool colours. Unfortunately for Dicks, Souness was proving to be