You know what they say: if it looks like snow, if it's white and freezing, it's probably snow. There's a lot of snow. Leeds, being Leeds, seems to be immune to the stuff’s effects , if not the stuff itself. That means that as matches fall by the wayside during the morning, their table topping clash with Queens Park Rangers doesn't. I really don't know why, but hurrah anyway. What might have been bad has turned out good, although it's important to remember that this is by accident rather than design.
All is far from plain sailing on many levels. Let's just say I get there in good time, but Christ my feet are cold. There's a long queue at the fish'n'chip shop outside the ground and the QPR team coach is almost as pokey as West Brom's.
I haven't been to Leeds since I saw them hammer Crewe in 2008. Nothing's changed and soon I rather wish I'd joined the fish'n'chip queue, since the hackfood is manky sandwiches and turps-tasting tea and coffee which is clearly poisonous. Worse, the blessed Neil Jeffries is on the hackbox seating plan, but he doesn't make it. A real shame.
Weirdly, the one person who I do know, blanks me. What that’s all about I cannot say, for I do not know. It’s another shame, not least since I really wanted to talk to him as we have so much in common. I know it's hardly band of brothers these days, but hackboxes - and the Leeds hackbox is built for the neighbourhood homunculus - are too small for anything but friendliness. Hit at Wigan, blanked in Leeds: hey, it might just be me. Anyway, it’s not all bad, I sit next to Simon Hart from The Independent and he’s obviously one of the good guys.
Cold or not, shame upon shame or not, the match is terrific. Much as childhood trauma means I’ll never be able to take to Leeds, objectively their defence is weak, while there seems to be some mistaken impression that Luciano Becchio is quite good. Even so, in Jonathan Howson, Max Gradel and Robert Snodgrass they have a trio capable of taking them further, assuming history doesn’t repeat itself and a big club doesn’t quietly sign them to a pre-contract agreement in January, hem hem. Simon Grayson isn’t helped by his accent and his mildly bewildered manner, but he steadied Blackpool and he’s worked wonders at Leeds with Ken Bates peering over his shoulder. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt for now and they’re worthy winners, not least since QPR aren’t much cop at all.
Adel Taarabt has his moments, but they don’t create a chance of note against that far from happy defence and they’re overrun in midfield. Maybe it’s an off-day, but they looked dreadful in losing to Watford on television the previous week. Perhaps it’s a wobble, perhaps the game’s up. Afterwards, Neil Warnock takes over an hour to turn up. Since it’s an out-of-character move - he loves a press conference as much a me - it seems reasonably to assume dressing room words have been spoken. He professes to be pleased with what he saw, but I’m not sure he is.
Both these teams might sneak up without the play-offs, but they need to watch themselves in the transfer window: Leeds must buy wisely and hang onto their jewels; QPR just need to buy wisely. And they both ought to take Norwich seriously and remember how good Cardiff can be.
Warnock is so late I almost miss my deadline. Almost. Then it’s back home in the snow. Still, it’s better than an enforced afternoon on the sofa. If you knew my sofa, you’d know why.

Playlist
Althea And Donna
Uptown Top Ranking
How on earth could anyone not fall for this? And not just because it knocked Mull of Kintyre off the Number 1 spot. Poetry, of sorts. Albeit tricky to sing along to poetry. And, no ,it’s not a novelty record.
On Uptown Top Ranking. Virgin Frontline album, 1977.