Damned if you do, damned if you don't… TSS March 25, 2011 Leeds United 12 Comments For those that missed it, Shaun Harvey shot to Leeds United’s defence live on TalkSport radio yesterday after one of the presenters accused The Whites of arrogance for making play-off arrangements before our place was confirmed. Those of you that experienced the farcical organisation of the club last time play-off tickets went on sale will have no doubt been relieved to hear Leeds United had learnt from that mistake and weren’t chancing a rerun of the inhumane treatment fans were subjected to. Leeds United’s decision to make play-off arrangements early could easily be spun into one of two news stories. You could take the TalkSport approach and twist it into some kind of unhatched chicken counting game, or you could see it for what it is – practical future planning. Something all successful businesses do. Our history has taught us to be cautious and take nothing for granted. Leeds United have a tendency to blow things at the last second or make things infinitely harder than it should be – that’s the Leeds United way and something we all have to deal with. It is not however an excuse for the club to be unprepared. To not plan for all eventualities, whether they be play-off success or failing to reach the Champions League places would be incredibly naive of any football club. As things stand, Leeds United sit fifth in the Championship. As usual, we’re doing things the hardest way possible and dropping points to inferior clubs that are littered with suspensions and injuries to key players. But despite the same old ups and downs, we’ve maintained a play-off spot for most of the season now and look likely to finish there when you consider the respective run-ins of our play-off chasing rivals. The fact is, that whether we make it or not, planning does no harm whatsoever. Jennifer Morrison might never make her way to Leeds having heard about the free pass my better half gave me and seduce me into a night of X rated activities, but that doesn’t mean my brain hasn’t planned for that possibility. Why wouldn’t it? I don’t want to be a jittering mess if she does come to surprise me! The thing that really surprised me about this story is that it wasn’t a pre-scheduled interview with TalkSport, but an impromptu phone call from Harvey who had demanded a chance to set the record straight after hearing the remarks a couple of days previous. This is a man I’ve given very little (if any) credit to in the past, so you know he’s done good when you hear me singing his praises. Essentially, what we have here is a story that wouldn’t have made it beyond the official site of any other club, but because we’re Leeds United, it’s easy to portray us as the villains. All you need to do is twist it in whatever direction creates a little buzz amongst right wing London taxi drivers who love nothing more than scandal and poor stereotyping and you’re on to a winner. A cheap shot from TalkSport, and they know it. Credit to Harvey for setting the record straight.