Steve Wicks
Advertising sales rep
West Ham
Fan since: I was 11 years old, 38 years ago.
Favourite player: Bobby Moore.
Greatest moment: Beating Arsenal 1-0 in the FA Cup final in 1980.
Been to Upton Park? No.
I was born and raised in southeast London. I'm from south of the river so I could have followed Crystal Palace or Charlton.
A few of my mates in the area were West Ham fans and that's what basically got me interested. I just liked the way they played.
I didn't know much about football when I was 11 but West Ham had the three great players who had won the World Cup with England in 1966 - Geoff Hurst, Bobby Moore and Martin Peters.
It was a good time to become a West Ham fan. Besides, I was a huge fan of Geoff Hurst. He was a brilliant striker.
I came out to New Zealand for the first time in 1975 and I've been out for good since 1979. I really like being a fan of a club that's not in the big four.
I always say it's a bit like Christmas - you never know what you're going to get each weekend.
It must get boring being a Manchester United or Chelsea fan, where all you've got to worry about is how much you've won by. It's exciting.
I hate to say it, but even when West Ham are in a relegation battle, it gives you something to get your teeth into. I'd prefer them not to get in a relegation battle, of course. I'd like to see them at the other end, because they're good enough.
What makes a typical West Ham fan? Patience, and the ability to take a joke. I'm someone who just admires good football, and West Ham are known for playing good football. They're a club that tests your patience season after season after season.
I'm a long-suffering West Ham United fan and there's a few of us around. Every season I just hope for a top-10 finish and that's it.
I'd love to see a top-six finish and pushing for a place in Europe. We've got the players to do that but we've had such a big injury list lately. Craig Bellamy and Kieron Dyer are still out, and that's hurting us.
I think it's the top two inches that are most important in football. I really think that's what lets West Ham down.
We've got good players but getting to the top is a mental thing.
I'm still a member of the West Ham supporters club in New Zealand. Me and Steve Cooper, another guy in Oamaru, were at one stage the southernmost official fan club members. Steve actually used to be the stadium manager at Upton Park.
It's a bit sad but I'm normally up by 6.30am on a Sunday watching whatever football on TV. I've got to know whether West Ham's won or lost.
