Arsenal news: ‘Hopefully Myles Lewis-Skelly has learned a lesson’

The problem with enjoying others misfortune too much, is that in football, it will always come right back and hit you.

This has an been unforgettable season in terms of deep satisfying schadenfreude for the frustrated old school football fan. Arsenal had been getting sympathy in recent seasons. Though not exactly serial league winners in the last 20 years, the Gunners are rightly considered one of the big guns.‌

The thing that has turned some fans away from hoping they overturn Liverpool is their style. Physicality is fine, but when it leans too far over towards the dark arts, then sympathy and support vanishes quicker than their recent title challenges.

The classic example came at the weekend when the young and clearly brilliant defender Myles Lewis-Skelly was sent off. Before the youngster had even reached the tunnel, every true football lover was thinking about his celebration after scoring against City. Mocking another player is taking a chance but “taking the mick” out of Erling Haaland when you are only 18, having just scored your first goal compared to Haaland’s 310, that was always going to rebound painfully in his face. Hopefully Myles has learned a lesson.

That line between admirable super confidence and disagreeable arrogance can look very blurry from a distance. He is young, his Buddha celebration was clearly meant as a bit of fun, so we should give him another chance. I know I will.

Sign up to read more from Pat Nevin in his Football Extra newsletter