I commented on Twitter this morning that Cellino’s fanboys remind me a lot of creationists (the extreme Christians who believe the world to be only 6,000 years old). Much like the God-fearing lot’s belief that dinosaur bones were placed on Earth by the almighty to test man’s faith in him, the ability for the extreme pro-Cellino crew to write-off hard, legal evidence as propaganda and lies is mind-blowing.

This comes in lieu of released documents around the club’s legal battle to prevent the Middlesbrough game from being moved for broadcast. Paul Bell categorically denied the allegations that Cellino was seeking to establish a mandate for Leeds to negotiate their own TV rights for Sky TV, instead insisting that the club merely wanted to be less powerless in this regard. The contract with Sky allows them to nominate whichever games they wish and shuffle them accordingly.

It transpires, however, that the legal documents released contract this entirely.

Legal papers make interesting reading. State very clearly that Cellino did want Champ. clubs to be allowed to sell TV rights individually. — Phil Hay (@PhilHayYEP) February 15, 2016

This would be a bad thing for football; Cellino pushing for it would perhaps benefit Leeds in the short term, but set a precedent for clubs like Scum, City, Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal (etc) to negotiate enormous deals and leaving little else for the rest. Remember, this is what La Liga had until a few years ago, where Real Madrid and Barcelona consumed the majority of the TV money for the entire league. It would be a stupid idea because the framework exists in the interest of fairness. Granted, Leeds are nominated for broadcast more than Rotherham, for example, but that’s the lesser of two evils.

The rub, however, comes in this piece of news:

Legal papers relating to Leeds' Sky TV fight say the club were offered 12.30pm Saturday kick-off after rejecting Monday night date. #lufc — Phil Hay (@PhilHayYEP) February 15, 2016

Sky offered to move the game 2.5hrs earlier to a 12:30 kick-off, which is a perfectly reasonable compromise and one that wouldn’t cause enormous disruption to fans. Cellino refused this, hell-bent on retaining the 3pm fixture (which he’d never win).

For all the fans who travelled from abroad (or were due to travel long distances domestically) who had booked flights, accommodation and sorted the administration around that (making childcare arrangements, saving money to do so, etc), a 12:30 fixture would probably have been absolutely fine. Once again, Cellino’s actions show blatant disregard for the fans, instead pursuing his own agenda/vendetta.

Yet the pro-Cellino crew believe these legal documents (which show Cellino to be categorically lying) are propaganda put forth by Leeds Fans United and the Yorkshire Evening Post. For whatever reason. They conveniently ignore that hundreds of their peers were forcibly out of pocket because of the whim of an owner so wrapped up in his own ego that he’s lost all sight of what is best for anyone but himself.

I’ve long maintained that I’m undecided in Cellino – he clearly has the means and the enthusiasm to make Leeds a success, he just can’t save the club from himself. His meddling, his rampant ego and vendetta against multiple causes. His idiotic hiring policy. The fact that nearly 2 years into his reign we’re (in footballing terms) no further on than we were.

After 31 games we have 37 points and sit in 16th place. Last season we had 38 and were in 14th. The season before we had 43 points and were in 11th place. The season before that, 42 points in 12th. Before that? 45 points in 11th place. Before that? 52 points in 6th. And that’s it for our time in the Championship. We’ve never been this bad before. Progress?

We have an owner that lies to the fans and football that demonstrably hasn’t improved. These are things that make me fed up. The performance last night was better, Doukara looks a changed man, Cook seemed lively, Bellusci looked oddly composed and even the protests made me smile. But generally? Yeah, it’s bleak.