Stuart, whose three match ban for the sending off against Everton starts next weekend, faces a further two game ban if he receives another yellow card against Aston Villa.
With the straight red he got last week added to the yellow card he had received a couple of minutes earlier, he sits precariously close to a ban that would rule him out of all but one of the remaining games of the season.
With Stuart intending to decide in the fortnight before the final day of the season whether he plays on in the next one, he is desperately hoping to avoid missing games prior to decision time.
John certainly sympathizes and says:
"We don't want to lose any players, to be fair, especially at this stage of the season.
"I think he's looking at three matches now, five if he is booked at the weekend, and it's hard to play with that pressure on you.
"I've had that before where you think 'one more booking and you're looking at this and that, and if he's looking at five games it's going to be hard for him.
"But knowing the sort of lad he is I think it's going to be difficult to change him."
John was warming up when Stuart made the challenge that led to his expulsion, and ran on to the field briefly to remonstrate.
He recalls:
"I got on without someone even coming off!
"That was a situation where I just reacted really; I saw the ref and felt that maybe if he thought about it for a minute it might save Pearcey from getting sent off.
"I felt just standing where I was, warming up, he he seemed to mistime the tackle a little bit.
"But, having seen it again, he'd already been on a yellow card and it was inevitable he was going to go.
"It was just one of those reaction things from me.
"I didn't even know the rules about going on without permission or what have you, but you learn these things - even at my age!
"I spoke to Paul Aldridge and a couple of other lads who said 'you could be in trouble', and I was just hoping that nothing would come of it.
"The ref hasn't stated anything in his report, which is good."
Of the current situation overall, he says:
"We need to get a couple of players back who are injured, but the main thing is just to stick together and get the team spirit going to try and grind it all out together.
"The position we're in, the manager is calling for us all to stick together and show team spirit, and I think that is what it's all about at the end of the day."
But he has seen it all before and adds:
"I've been here twice when we've been favourites to go down, and in the last week he had to beat Blackburn, Liverpool, and get a result against Manchester United and they were the three top sides one year.
"But we got out of that, and it's not as desperate as that yet, but we definitely have to battle now."
He feels the failure of the sides below West Ham to string a run of results together can help the Hammers and says:
"I think the sides below us have not exactly set the world alight - Coventry or Manchester City could catch us, but at the moment they are not flying so that's good news.
"But if they start winning a couple of games then we will have to start winning a few games.
"If you look at our squad, it is a big one really in terms of numbers.
"Going back to when I first came to the club seven years ago, we had two relegation battles in the first three seasons, and nowhere near the talent we have now.
"We had nowhere near the talent as well - but like all clubs we have suffered with injuries.
"If the young players come through this they'll learn such a lot, and it will be good for them in a couple of years to look back on.
"Of course, at the moment we don't want to be in this situation, but it will build their characters along with certain other players and it will be a good learning curve for a few players.
"Everyone's confidence is affected, if you look at the results even in the three or four games before the Tottenham game, we've been on a bad run.
"But we should be big enough and strong enough to get through that, and the thing is we've got to start working hard and digging away for a few results."
John could be a beneficiary of the recent run if Harry decides to bring some experience in, and he admits:
"I'm hoping to get a run out one way or the other, but I'm hoping that every week as all players do."
But, despite West Ham's good away form, he says:
"It's going to be a really hard game, there is no two ways about it, but you have just got to go there and give it your all.
"Even when you are flying and you go there it is hard, and I wouldn't expect too many miracles.
"But if we can grind out a result it might give us a bit of confidence to face Derby the following week.
"It's going to be one of those back to the wall games I think..."