Lagering/Cold Conditioning

[BadSeed]

I have a question about lagering or cold conditioning.

I generally do the 1 week primary, 1 week secondary and 1 week lagering routine.
Then I transfer to a keg and force carb using the Ross method. The keg is then left in the fridge until I drink it (time varies)

Is there any point in leaving my brew in the secondary fermenter at 2/4 degrees for a week. Or can I just start kegging and carbing up and leaving at the same temperature.
Is there a differnece in the flat beer lagering or the carbed beer maturing/aging?

[Tipsy]

I like to lager my beers without carbonation until they are nice and clear.

Then I don't think it matters too much, they improve under carbonation.

I've had beer that I've gassed up early and the keg has never cleared up though the flavour has improved.

[Kevnlis]

My method was always 2 or so weeks in primary, depending on the yeast strain, temp, and gravity. Remove from fridge and bring to room temp for a couple days, then a couple days at -1C before racking to the keg and putting it on the gas in the beer fridge. 2 days at -1C is better than 2 weeks at 2 - 4C.