Wantaway West Ham star Harrison Ashby sent a Carabao Cup plea to David Moyes before defeat to Blackburn but it fell on deaf ears.
West Ham crashed out of a wide open Carabao Cup at the first hurdle to Championship Blackburn on another dismal night at the London Stadium.
The Hammers are no strangers to exiting cups to lower league opposition down the years.
But the manner of the defeat and the context surrounding it piles the pressure on Moyes following the 2-1 home loss to Crystal Palace at the weekend.
Moyes made 11 changes from the side which started that game, but while West Ham’s team was filled with plenty of experience and quality, many fans have been critical of the setup and approach.
Fans were furious again that Moyes deployed five at the back at home against a team from the division below.
He also played four central midfielders in the team and had two goalkeepers on the bench.
There had been calls before the game for the manager to give some of West Ham’s young academy stars the chance to shine after they impressed in Europe last week.
But only Conor Coventry featured with Moyes electing to use first team stars, which backfired as West Ham drew 2-2 and lost 10-9 on penalties.
The fullback areas have been a major issue at West Ham for some time. And both Vladimir Coufal and Ben Johnson were abysmal again against a Blackburn B team.
Supporters have questioned why the likes of Divin Mubama, Ollie Scarles and Harrison Ashby were not involved in the squad given how well they did last week and how often Moyes says he likes to promote youth.
West Ham fans also pointed to the fact Moyes once again named two goalkeepers on the bench as evidence he could have at least made room for some youngsters in the squad.
On the eve of the Carabao Cup embarrassment, West Ham published an interview with one of those academy players on the official site.
And wantaway West Ham star Ashby sent a Carabao Cup plea to David Moyes but it fell on deaf ears.
Ashby is very highly rated at West Ham and by the supporters but is refusing to sign a new contract having grown frustrated with a lack of first team opportunities under Moyes.
Wantaway West Ham star Harrison Ashby sent Carabao Cup plea to David Moyes but it fell on deaf ears
The Scotland youth international almost joined Newcastle on transfer deadline day and there has been speculation that move is still on the cards when January rolls around.
Speaking on the official site, Ashby said he and his fellow academy stars were hoping to be involved in the cup squad.
“I’m feeling good, I feel fit,” Ashby told whufc.com having recovered from a recent injury issue.
“I’ve got no recurring problems and a good couple of weeks in training. Obviously, I played Thursday night against FCSB in Romania, which was good, and I got a good 90 minutes against Wolves on Monday, so I’m feeling great…
“I’m always trying to push to be in and around the first team. That’s the goal for all of us and I’m going to keep doing that. From the performance on Monday, we can hope a few of the young boys will be involved in the first-team Carabao Cup game on Wednesday against Blackburn Rovers.”
Judging by Ashby’s comments he and several others will be absolutely gutted they were not involved against Blackburn.
As fans will attest, they would not have done any worse than the senior players on show.
And it could be that makes Ashby’s mind up once and for all over his future as West Ham try to persuade him to sign a new deal.