Latest news with #RobCouhig
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Reading chief reveals impressive season ticket stat ahead of 'serious' week of work
Reading owner Rob Couhig has revealed that the club sold more season tickets in the first five days on sale than in the first EIGHT WEEKS last time out. The Royals fans are riding a crest of a wave currently, revelling in the news that Dai Yongge no longer owns the club and Noel Hunt's impressive on-field squad finishing seventh in League One. Season ticket numbers were at their lowest point for well over two decades last season and the average crowd fell to under 13,000, still strong for third tier standards. Keeping prices frozen until June 6, keen to harness the feel-good factor currently at the club, Couhig has confirmed that the they have done just that with sales sky-rocketing on last year. Good last week: more season tickets sold in first 5 days than in first eight weeks last year! Great first signing with Lewis. This week, serious work on review and improvement of infrastructure, customer fronting efforts, and further development of the squad. Thank you and please… — Rob Couhig (@RCouhig) May 26, 2025 Speaking to supporters via his social media, Couhig said: "More season tickets sold in first five days than in first eight weeks last year! Great first signing with Lewis [Wing]. This week, serious work on review and improvement of infrastructure, customer fronting efforts, and further development of the squad. "Thank you and please join us today because We Won't Back Down! Up the Ding!" Any supporter who renews before June 6 will be offered a tour of Bearwood training park, with finance options available.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Every player released in League One as Reading await verdict on contract offers
As one season ends, another begins and thoughts have already turned to the upcoming opening of the summer transfer window. While the Royals are still awaiting verdicts on any contracts, with 11 first-team regulars offered new deals, many were let go and must forge their careers elsewhere. With the free agent market the preferred market for new owner Rob Couhig, take a look below at every player released from League One to see if the club can pick out any cheap gems for the 2025/26 campaign. (Image: JasonPIX) Barnsley: Josh Benson; Theo Chapman; Sam Cosgrove; Josiah Dyer; Adam Hayton; Charlie Hickingbottom; Nathan James; Jonathan Lewis; Jean Claude Makiessi; Aiden Marsh; Conor McCarthy; Emmaisa Nzondo; Donovan Pines; Hayden Pickard; Callum West; Geoffrey Lundoloki; Elliott Probert; Kallum Reid; Maxwell Swift; William Thompson; Malachi Tommy-Mbogba; Owen Warburton. Blackpool: Mackenzie Chapman; Jake Daniels; Kwaku Donkor; Jordan Gabriel; Tyler Hill; Jaden Jones; Alex Lankshear; Jack Moore; Oliver Norburn; Richard O'Donnell; Josh Onomah; Jordan Rhodes. New contract: Jake Beesley; Harvey Bardsley (Image: Jessica Hornby) Bolton Wanderers: Ricardo Almeida Santos; Nathan Baxter; Joel Coleman; Gethin Jones; Ben Andreucci; Trevon Bryan; Harrison Fleury; Noah Halford; Ellis Litherland-Riding; Luke Matheson; Joseph Toole; Yestin Shakespear; James Westwood; George Barlow Bradford City: Callum Johnson; Gabe Wadsworth; Jamie Walker; Romoney Crichlow; Sam Stubbs; Vadaine Oliver Burton Albion: Anthony Forde; Mason Bennett; Jack Stretton; Cameron Gilbert; Toby Oakes; Dylan Scott Doncaster Rovers: Freddie Allen; Jack Degruchy; Jack Goodman; Tavonga Kuleya; Jacob Bacon; Jaiden Campbell-Ryce; Kenzie Dillon; Kenneth Imariagbe; Oliver Piekarski; Charlie Thompson; Jamie Tomlinson Exeter City: Cheick Diabate; Vincent Harper; Ben Purrington; Angus MacDonald; Shaun MacDonald; Mitch Beardmore; Gabe Billington; Max Edgecombe Huddersfield Town: Jonathan Hogg; Loick Ayina; Conor Falls; Scott High; Josh Koroma; Tom Lees; Matty Pearson; Josh Ruffels; Ollie Turton; Danny Ward; Anthony Gregory; Danny Isaac; Donnell Garrick; Oliver Riva; Zak Abbott; Fope Deru; Cian Philpott; Michael Stone Lincoln City: Jay Benn; Sam Clucas; Ali Smith; Tyler Walker Luton Town: Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu; Amari'i Bell; Victor Moses; Tim Krul; Jameson Horlick; Dion Pereira; Jack Bateson; Dominic Dos Santos Martins; Tyrell Giwa; Axel Piesold; Charlie Emery; Isaiah Harvey; Cai Hockey; Matthew Takawira Mansfield Town: Hiram Boateng; Aden Flint; Alfie Kilgour; Calum Macdonald; Tom Nichols; Christy Pym; Ben Quinn; Stephen Quinn; George Williams (Image: Gary Oakley) Northampton Town: Tyler Magloire; Jack Sowerby; James Wilson; Nik Tzanev; Ali Koiki; Liam McCarron; Harvey Lintott; Akin Odimayo; Will Hondermarck; TJ Eyoma; Reuben Wyatt. New contracts: Neo Dobson; Matty Ireland Peterborough United: David Ajiboye; Kabongo Tshimanga; Hector Kyprianou; Tyler Young; Ma'Kel Campbell; Justin Osagie; Jenson Sumnall; Aaron Powell; Ignas Sakalas; Tom Unwin; George Holley; Max Beech; Luke Gilbert Port Vale: Nathan Smith; Tom Sang; Ethan Chislett; Rekeem Harper; Jason Lowe; Andrew Buah; Dan Jones; Diamond Edwards Plymouth Argyle: Ben Waine; Saxon Earley; Will Jenkins Davies; Josh Bernard Reading: Adrian Akande; Coniah Boyce-Clarke; David Button; Tom Carroll; Harlee Dean; Louie Holzman; Jack Senga-Ngoyi; Charlie Wellens; Verrell George; James Sharlott; Kai Source (Image: JasonPIX) Rotherham United: Andre Green; Alex MacDonald; Dillon Phillips; Jake Hull Stevenage: Kyle Edwards; Jake Forster-Caskey; David Hicks; Kane Smith Stockport County: Cody Johnson; Kyle Knoyle Wigan Athletic: Scott Smith; Andy Lonergan; Jack Bates; Finn O'Boyle; Jack Reilly; Oscar Harris; Lewis Wilson; Oliver Fairhurst; Alastair Clifford Wycombe Wanderers: Taylor Clark; Brandon Hanlan; Beryly Lubala; Franco Ravizzoli; Adam Reach; Kieran Sadlier; Sam Vokes; Christie Ward; Luca Woodhouse; Jack Young
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Reading chief calls on fans to 'keep the fight' in open letter as tickets go on sale
New Reading owner Rob Couhig has called for supporters to 'keep the fight' in an open letter as season ticket sales open. The American has been working on a job in New Orleans but is expected back across in the next 10 days, his first time over since officially purchasing the club. In the meantime, media interviews have been conducted online and co-CEO Joe Jacobson has been working from Bearwood alongside Noel Hunt and Brian Carey to get the ball rolling on squad building. Season tickets were put on sale this afternoon (May 22) and prices have been frozen until June 6, with anyone renewing before then invited to an open day at the training ground. Alongside the season ticket news, Couhig has penned a letter to supporters. 2025/26 Season Tickets are on Sale NOW! Read Rob Couhig's open letter to fans... 👇 — Reading FC (@ReadingFC) May 22, 2025 "As I said last week , the loyalty of our season ticket holders over recent times will be remembered. Therefore, I am pleased to say our season ticket prices will be frozen until 5pm, 6th of June. "Your support means the world to this football club, and we are counting on it we look ahead to the new season. Our home form last season was incredible, and you should not underestimate the role you all played in that success, and I know how much Noel, the staff and the team recognise your contribution. "My ask to you is to keep that momentum. Keep that fight. Keep that passion. This is a new chapter but likewise, there will be bumps on the road. The unwavering support of our season ticket holders will keep us strong. "That's why, for all season ticket holders who renew or purchase before 5pm 6th of June – I'm personally to inviting you to Bearwood for an open day, where you will meet the team, players and staff and get to see our fantastic facilities in full. More details to follow in due course, but rest assured we'll make it a special day to mark this new season as we embark on this journey together. "I can assure you a huge amount of work is happening behind the scenes to ensure we are ready for the new season. Todd and Amy, Missy and I are all looking forward to being with you again in Reading. "This is Our Club. This is Our Future. We won't back down! "We're in this together and I'm certain that with your support we can reach our ambitions."
The Guardian
19-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
New Reading owner Rob Couhig: ‘There is a real market for the EFL in the US'
Rob Couhig talks of having been 'jilted at the altar' when he describes the unceremonious end of his previous Reading takeover bid but eight months on he has finally consummated his on-off relationship with the troubled club. The divorce from the previous owner, Dai Yongge, was a long and painful one which had passed the 600-day mark by the time Couhig's £25m purchase was completed last Wednesday. From his home in New Orleans, Couhig talks at length about the extraordinary process, including the revelation that he did not speak to Dai and had only occasional contact with the former Reading chief executive Nigel Howe. The image of the 75-year-old lawyer being stood up at a popular Reading nightspot, The Purple Turtle, when he went to exchange contracts last September also boggles the mind, although much about the saga made little sense. Couhig was one of five bidders to enter exclusive negotiations with Dai and had drifted from the picture until a judgment from London's commercial court last month upheld his claim to have security over the stadium and training ground resulting from last year's aborted deal. 'I always thought it was going to happen because we're not idiots,' Couhig says. 'When we did the deal [last summer] we did what we thought was right, and our lawyers did a terrific job for us. I was just at home when it happened after my experience last year. 'I went to The Purple Turtle club in Reading of all places. I thought it'd be a great place for us to go and be able to sort of softly make the announcement. I realised while I was there that it wasn't happening and I had to go home. We were jilted at the altar. Nobody said a word, did a thing, anything. 'I never spoke to Mr Dai. I spoke to Nigel twice in a year, maybe three times. I spoke to several sets of lawyers representing Mr Dai at various times. And that's as close as I came to having any real discussions with anybody. We worked almost around the clock for two weeks to get it done. So it wasn't a feeling of: 'Let's go pop the champagne!' Instead we've just plunged straight into it.' The uncertainty surrounding Dai's ownership means Couhig bought a club with only six first-team players under contract for next season, although new deals were offered to 11 other players last week in an attempt to retain the bulk of the squad which finished seventh in League One, three points off the playoffs. The manager, Noel Hunt, will be staying after doing a hugely impressive job in difficult circumstances since replacing Rubén Sellés in December. Couhig's focus, as during his ownership of Wycombe, who were promoted to the Championship for the first time on his watch, will be on obtaining value via the best free transfers. 'I'm a big believer that at this level of football there's a lot of people who are coming out of other clubs, Championship clubs, Premier League clubs, even League One clubs, who are going to be looking for a new home in a place where they can succeed,' Couhig says. 'I think we're going to be much more oriented towards frees. Transfer fees will be not excluded from our consideration, but will be an anomaly. 'We're always going to ask: 'Does it make sensible business?' I would rather spend extra money on infrastructure than extra money on a specific player. Because if I go out and I build the infrastructure, I know I'm going to get a return on it. With a player, some of them end up injured or something happens in their life, and all of a sudden you've got a player who's not the same person that you bought.' Having owned Wycombe for more than four years, Couhig is well versed on life in the English Football League and has strong views on how it operates. He advocates tougher spending controls in League One to prevent cash-rich clubs such as Birmingham and Wrexham from running away with promotion as they did this season, and also argues that the EFL should be doing far more to promote the competition in the United States. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion 'If I could be the tsar of football for the day I would tell all clubs in League One you can only use twice what you get from the league in payment for your first-team players,' Couhig says. 'Make it a real meritocracy and not so dependent upon how much money a club brings compared to another club. 'The EFL is a hugely undervalued asset, particularly in the United States. It's the biggest market in the world and we're barely tapping into it. Sometimes the assumption is made that people only worry about the Premier League, but I think there is a real market for all three divisions of the EFL. 'Most people over here live in small towns so have a natural affinity with smaller clubs. They like to adopt them as their own. We don't have promotion and relegation over here, so should be marketing the hell out of that. Every game matters in the EFL, which isn't the case in the States.' Couhig's immediate targets for Reading are a playoff place and a period of stability. 'On the pitch I would expect to do better than we did this season,' he says. 'Off the pitch it would be reasonable to expect not to have as many disruptions. 'People can say all the bad things they want about Mr Dai, but he has assembled an impressive collection of assets. The stadium, the training ground, the fact that Reading have a history of success, and a solid fanbase that's proven its mettle. What I want to do is take a troubled business and turn it into a hugely successful one. 'My goal is always to leave a place better than I found it. And I think we will be well on that road by this time next year.'
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Reading owner calls for 'community effort' and addresses Bearwood protests
New Reading owner Rob Couhig is looking forward to meeting supporters of the club, wanting the rejuvenation of the club to be a 'community effort.' The former Wycombe Wanderers chief officially took over the club on Wednesday, originally due to complete a deal in August 2024. Enduring a rocky relationship with Royals fans in the past two years, Couhig came in for criticism due to his involvement in Wycombe's attempted purchase of Reading's Bearwood training ground. Supporters protested outside Adams Park and the deal was quickly scuppered, but words were exchanged on social media and via podcasts. Never giving up, never giving in 🔵⚪️#readingfc #SellBeforeWeDai — Sell Before We Dai (@SellBeforeWeDai) March 15, 2024 "I didn't understand it, I really didn't," Couhig said of the Bearwood saga. "I thought anybody who thought it served a purpose doesn't understand business, but that's okay. They felt better and it went the way they wanted it to go. I don't know whether Mikhail [Lomtadze] would have bought it or not were it for that even, but it's in the past. "What it does do is show that there's a strong commitment of people to the club and what I would hope is that in this newfound day of happiness, they would use that same level of intensity to try and help the club by selling tickets, selling sponsorships, helping us move forward and the like." Happy to speak with supporters and take pictures upon his visits to Berkshire in the past year, fans were overjoyed to see Dai Yongge end his eight-year association with the club and usher in the Couhig Era. This excitement is certainly a two-way street. "I'm excited," Couhig said. "I've asked to see how we can, in effect, do a Zoom with whatever fans want to. My preference would be all the social lawyers who came out of the woodwork under anonymous names and to have them actually get online and ask me any question they want. Again, I'm not sure that I can satisfy all of them but what I know is that if they listen with an open mind, they'll understand what our goal is, how we expect to achieve it, and they'll be reasonably satisfied with the answer. "There's going to be a portion of people, rightly so say, well, that's all great to say it, let me see how it actually works. What I would hope that those people wouldn't do is say, let's see how it works and I'm not going to the game until I see how it works. "We need this to be a community effort. That last game was spectacular, the fans coming together and really having a sense of joy. My reason for being involved in sport, as an owner, we love the joy that comes from people."
