Despite living over 5,500 miles away in Quito, Ecuador, West Ham United fan Philip Johnson remains as passionate as ever.
Philip moved to Ecuador two years ago to teach at the British School Quito. He grew up supporting the Hammers, yet opportunities to go to the Boleyn Ground were limited as he lived in Cornwall before moving to New Zealand.
He then came back to England to study at Queen Mary College in London, which gave him a far greater chance to see the Hammers. As Philip recalls: "I lived my student years as near to Upton Park as possible."
Here is his story about supporting the Hammers from abroad and the impact Enner Valencia's move has had on West Ham's global appeal and the schoolchildren in Quito.
"We first heard rumours of Valencia's move midway through the World Cup at the end of the last school year in July. The students were very excited and though I said it could just be another rumour, it actually happened in the end of July. He even got a mention in our 'welcome back' assembly at the start of the year."
Owing to the huge appeal of the Barclays Premier League, the school kids had already heard of West Ham however the Club is now much more popular: "The support has grown since signing Enner Valencia. They already knew 'Bubbles' and used to sing it around the school when I arrived two years ago, so they must have picked it up from somewhere!"
The striker moved to West Ham after scoring all three of Ecuador's goals at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Although La Tricolor were eliminated at the group stage, Valencia's goals sealed his popularity.
"Although Antonio Valencia at Manchester United, Jefferson Montero at Swansea, and Juan Carlos Paredes at Watford are all popular, the kids at school think Enner is the most popular after the impression he made at the World Cup. We watched Ecuador's games on a big screen in the library.
"The kids at the British School Quito have a song about him. The song translates loosely to: "No, No, No, there is no defence that can stop the dribbling of Valencia. I've seen teams request leniency because Enner Valencia has the ball!"
As for his hopes for this season, Philip believes Valencia can help the Hammers achieve their aim on a top half finish: "I hope we finish at least tenth as I've put a lot of money on it! Knowing the emotional rollercoaster that you ride as a West ham fan, that means there's a strong possibility that we'll finish eleventh on goal difference after Swansea score a last minute goal on the last day of the season to secure tenth spot!
"My first home game was the season after relegation from the old Division One, in 1989/90. It was against Watford and we won 1-0 from a Julian Dicks penalty - his first of many! I remember my parents taking me on the long District Line journey from my Nan's in Richmond to Upton Park."
Among his other memorable games was the 1990 FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest: "I also managed to get a ticket for the 'Billy Bonds' Claret and Blue Army' FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest in 1990. That was thanks to a West Ham fan I met on holiday in Italy when I was about 13. I would like to thank my mate Gerry for picking me up at Upney station all those years ago and driving me all the way up to the game.
"I also saw West Ham at Home Park against Plymouth Argyle when they were in the old Division Two, though the likes of Alvin Martin and Frank McAvennie had to have their wits about them as the Plymouth fans used to throw Cornish pasties at the opposition players!
"My favourite West Ham player of all time is Trevor Brooking - when I was four years old my grandfather wrote to him. Trevor took the effort of writing a letter to me on the other side of the world in New Zealand. I can still remember his closing words: "Keep the Hammers flag flying out there in New Zealand."
"My wife used to teach at Trevor Brooking's old school, Ilford County High School. We met him in November 2006. After that I proposed to her!"
Of the current squad, Philip's favourite player is Mark Noble: "Although I appreciate the efforts of everyone who pulls on a Hammers' shirt, Mark Noble gets the vote for his loyalty, commitment and consistency over a long period of time."
Philip believes the five hour time difference works in his favour as he does not have to wait around for the matches to start. "It is actually great because you get up, have breakfast and the 3pm UK kick offs start at 9am in Ecuador. The satellite TV package here shows all Premier League games, so I get to see West Ham every time they play.
"The only problem is that on the rare occasions when they lose, I am miserable for the whole of the rest of the day, rather than for just half a day!"