Rob Couhig Buys Reading: A Welcome But Complicated End To A Bitter Saga
Rob Couhig - a man with a less than straightforward reputation at Reading - has finally brought the long, painful takeover saga to a conclusion.
At long, long last it’s over. It’s finally done, the Dai Yongge era is finished. We made it.
Though today’s news is on paper the resolution to a business transaction between two individuals, really it’s much more than that. It’s the final step in an awfully long, anxious and emotional rollercoaster of a journey - one that’s been walked by many thousands of us. A journey we feared would never end.
Today though, it has ended. After all the years of suffering, worry and catastrophising, now we wake from our collective nightmare. Now we get to celebrate.
The man who’s brought us to the end of that journey is Rob Couhig, someone who has of course had plenty of roles to play in the last year or so - sometimes the protagonist, sometimes the antagonist. Would-be Bearwood buyer, the source of vital club funding in 2024, legal opponent to Dai, and for so long the man desperately trying in vain to unseat Dai as owner.
Ultimately though, The Man Who Would Be ‘Ding finally got his wish.
The fact that Couhig of all people - Rob Couhig! - has ultimately emerged as the saviour of Reading Football Club instinctively feels... a bit odd. An apt resolution to the takeover saga then, given how bizarre the last two years have been for us.
This absolutely isn’t to downplay the magnitude and the joy of the occasion. We’ve been desperate for salvation for so long and Couhig has put down the time, effort and money to make that happen. He’s succeeded where so many others have failed.
However, like the ending to so many of the great sagas, there’s a bittersweet tinge to this conclusion. Couhig is Reading’s saviour, yes, but far from a universally popular one. He comes with baggage - baggage that’s already rubbed a not-significant number of supporters up the wrong way. Not an insurmountable hurdle, but not ideal either.
In a poll we ran on April 2, in the middle of Reading’s legal back-and-forth with Couhig, a whopping 46.5% of Loyal Royals said they had a negative view of him. In fact, more people were on the fence (32.9%) than positively disposed towards Couhig (20.6%).
Though he’ll immediately get a huge injection of goodwill from many of his sceptics and critics simply by getting the takeover done, he still has plenty of fans to win over in the coming weeks and months. It’s in everyone’s interests that he’ll be able to do that, so I hope he’s welcomed with an open mind by all.
I’d have dearly loved Dai’s successor to be someone who the fanbase didn’t have complicated feelings about. Couhig most certainly isn’t that, but he’s still at the very least earned a fair hearing and to be given a chance.
As for my own view on the man, I’ve got mostly positive but still mixed feelings.
On the plus side, it’s hard to look past what he brings to the table. Couhig is a proven, experienced owner of a football club at a similar level to Reading, due to his stint at Wycombe Wanderers. Compare his pedigree to that of some other would-be owners and Couhig stacks up very nicely indeed.
It’s a safe bet (going by what he’s previously said and done) that he’ll seek to run Reading prudently rather than spending money we don’t have - while still being ambitious to improve the club in certain areas. He’s also commendably prepared to communicate directly and openly with supporters - even though it’s worth bearing in mind that communication can be (and has been) done for his own benefit too. Good PR is good PR.
Couhig is a sensible, proven owner with a genuine interest in football (something never to be taken for granted in the modern age) who’s more than qualified to rectify much of the damage done over the Dai era. In the long run Reading Football Club should not only be a much better-run organisation than in the post-relegation years, but also in the pre-relegation years under Dai too.
There’s a lot there to respect, admire and take comfort in as the fan of a club that’s gone through the wringer in recent times. As someone who’s just desperate to have confidence in those with the responsibility of taking Reading forward.
I have annoyances and concerns about Couhig too though, although I appreciate they won’t be shared by all.
It’s certainly fair to say he’s stubbornly fought his corner in the last year or so. Stubbornness isn’t inherently a bad thing, certainly not for a business person, and when Couhig’s interests align with what fans want (a takeover, leading to a revitalised Reading Football Club), it’s a force to be welcomed - hence us now having a takeover to celebrate. But sometimes that stubbornness has avoidably gone too far.
For one thing, he was disrespectfully dismissive about those who protested last year outside Adams Park, with Wycombe then under his ownership. Fans did that out of desperation for the future of their club, not to “parade by” or make themselves “feel good”, as Couhig said.
“I think those who were particularly aggrieved [about Bearwood] didn’t have a clue about what was going on, so they read a rumour which made them feel good to parade by Adams Park.”
I was similarly unimpressed by his comments on a late March appearance on the EFL Today podcast, in the midst of the legal saga between himself and Dai. When given an opportunity by co-host Joe Jacobson to give a message to Loyal Royals - again, fans who were deeply worried about the future of their club - he first outlined his business position before saying: “I won’t roll over for anybody.”
Again, that suggested a lack of empathy and understanding for supporters who’ve been in an extremely distressing situation for a long time now. I hope I’m wrong on that. Either way, Couhig would do really well as owner to understand fans’ feelings and fears, which won’t simply change overnight. We’ve been hurting and will take time to heal.
And his behaviour over the months following his failed attempt to buy the club last September came across as a bit petty at the time. It was clear how much of a priority his own position was for him - even while Reading FC was in as precarious a state as it had been throughout the takeover saga.
Seeking £12m in damages through the courts just felt daft (for how big the figure was), while his legal manoeuvring in recent months did seem to deter alternative new owners - as Sell Before We Dai said in early April.
At the very least he was happy to publicly muddy the waters and jam his foot back in the door on the takeover front when he wasn’t the one leading the way to do a deal with Dai. Despite Robert Platek being in exclusivity to buy the club, Couhig made repeated media appearances in late March and early April to promote the possibility of him buying the club.
The points above are largely things which aren’t all that relevant anymore. How Couhig did or didn’t act when he was on the outside of Reading Football Club now takes a back seat to what he does from here on in.
But this isn’t simply the conclusion to a business transaction: this is the end of a pretty traumatising episode in Reading Football Club’s history that will take time to emotionally heal from. Given Couhig’s sometimes-antagonistic role in recent months, while I will absolutely root for his every success as owner, I can’t simply completely move on from everything that’s happened straightaway.
What also worries me is the lack of clarity over the future of Reading’s academy and status at Bearwood. Rumours persist, despite his many media appearances, that Couhig may look to cut costs on one front or both - a real concern given that both are jewels in the Royals’ crown.
Couhig has previously said “people need to understand that this is a business”, and given that he pursued legal action to protect his business interests, we know he’s serious about that outlook. While cutting costs could well make Reading a more prudently run organisation, it shouldn’t be at the expense of what makes this club special.
The bottom line though is, at long last, we’ve come to a very welcome endpoint to a bitter and painful saga, the likes of which no fan of any club should ever have to endure.
And Couhig is the man to have got us here, despite it for so long seeming like no one could. Because of that, despite any misgivings or criticisms I or anyone else may have, he’s more than earned a fair earning and patience from the fanbase.
After all, we’re all now part of the same family. We’re all on the same team.
Welcome to Berkshire Rob.