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Newcastle is well-known as one of the most football-mad cities in the country, with an incredibly loyal fan base for their home team.

But Geordies aren’t alone in their love of Newcastle United. While the club might not have the same global appeal as the big-moneyed names of Manchester United and Chelsea, you can still find pockets of loyal Toon fans in the most unlikely places, draped in black and white shirts and flags, screaming at the TV as they watch the Magpies in a far-flung corner of the globe.

Over the next week we’ll be taking a look at the people who have taken on the pain and heartache of following Newcastle United – not by birth, but by choice.

Today, it’s the turn of fans in Indonesia. We’ve been overwhelmed by the response from Newcastle United’s Indonesian fans, who are some of the most passionate we’ve come across. We’re featuring 28-year-old goat farmer Hamiriza Triwardhana – known as Riza – but check all the captions in the picture gallery for quotes from what other Indonesian fans had to say.

Q: How and when did you become a Newcastle fan? Do you have connections to the city?

A: It started when I was nine years old in 1994, when Indonesia is suffered from World Cup fever, and TV stations here started to broadcast Europe football leagues. The first football action I saw on TV was the Premier League highlight and when I saw Newcastle United name and their different shirt, I instantly in love with them. Just like that, I felt it was destined for me.

Q: Have you managed to get to St James' Park, or do you have plans in the future?

A: I’ve never been to SJP, but I have a plan to get to there in 2015. SJP is a holy place for us, like Muslim’s Kaaba, or Catholic’s Vatican.

Q: How many Newcastle fans are there where you live, and where do you watch the matches?

A: In Indonesia there are about 1,000 Newcastle fans. I live in Jakarta now, and here we have 300-400 Newcastle fans. And always watch matches together in cafe or bar.

Q: Do you have any routines you follow before matches? What do people make of you supporting Newcastle?

A: Newcastle shirt, scarf and flag is a must when I watch the matches, and we always do singing and chanting before and throughout the matches. Win or lose.

Q: What does Newcastle United mean to you? How important is it in your life?

A: Newcastle Utd is part of my life for 19 years, it means the world to me, it really affect my life. When they lose, that’s bad news for my productivity, my social life, my mood, and also my appetite.

Q: What do you think of the season so far, and what do you think will happen?

A: This season is not like another season for me, a Rollercoaster Season, (except The Entertainer seasons). We started it with bad, but slowly we can recover from that. But our performances in Europa League is beyond my expectation, we always play well in there, I really hope this would be my first major trophy in my life and we do have the quality to win this.

Q: Who’s your favourite player, and what do you think of Newcastle’s new signings?

A: My all time favourite player is absolutely Alan Shearer, still have article of local newspaper when he signed for us. And, when I was 10, my father (he didn’t know I idolized Shearer) bought me my first NUFC shirt, with Shearer name on the back.

I also love our Stevie Taylor, a player who always plays with passion and who wears his heart on his sleeve.

Our new signings so far did a great job, they adapt well and quick enough to English football, especially the French contingent, and they play big part of our recent success. We really have to keep our current recruitment team.