Rob Couhig claims he won't let Reading FC die
The man who came close to buying the club is waiting in the wings to step in if Dai fails to sell the club
Last updated 7th Apr 2025
Rob Couhig the man who was just hours from buying the club has spoken publicly for the first time since the deadline for Dai Yongge to sell the club was extended.
During a lengthy interview with me he says he wasn't surprised the EFL gave Reading longer and doesn't believe they'll suspend the club before the end of the season.
"It's going to be hard for them (the EFL) to just say oh we're going to suspend Reading and we're not going to let them play out the season, if you do that it doesn't just implicate Reading it implicates every other club in the 24 club league 1.
"Until the end of the play offs if Reading's still involved I don't think anything's going to happen."
He describes the recent court case with the club as a PR stunt designed to make him look like he was blocking a sale. The club has subsequently made him an offer to set aside the securities he holds and he says he was happy with the figure the club offered but needed some vital assurances.
"Our response was there were some procedural things that had to be done. One having been burned multiple times by believing that lawyers were speaking for Mr Dai we were only going forward if the offer came from him in a formalised offer that was binding, secondly as it would implicate the purchaser we would need the purchaser to also sign on since this was done theoretically to allow a purchase to go forward and finally my over arching concern that I'm not a 100% sure any of this is real until it's real and so we wanted to seek verification there was a sale imminent at which point we would deal with all of it."
He cast doubt on whether the club really is that close to being sold and vowed to step in if suspension from the EFL was imminent.
"If he (Dai) were not to sell it I think we would step in and take it over before it was suspended so I've always thought of us as the last stop we will takeover the club before anything truly draconian happens."
Couhig also answered suggestions that he tried to change the deal to buy the club at the last moment saying he had signed the contracts that had been drawn up by Dai's lawyers.
"It was never changing the price I don't know who came up with that idea I think a British term I heard was 'chipping the price' or something like that, it was not.
"At the end of the day we all agreed on the terms and then it all disappeared, not even a phone call"
Mr Couhig says the dispute isn't as some fans have suggested a battle of egos or even his determination to defeat Dai.
"This deal about buying the club isn't about winning it's about honouring the agreement. We had an agreement I spent a million pounds working on it I found out they were going behind my back during that period I took umbrage at that and so we have our claim, but look I don't think he's trying to humiliate me or me him I think it's a nice media story to do the personality thing."
He had this message for Reading fans.
"The club has a real chance of being in the play offs and succeeding and Noel has done a great job with them and let the off field things take place don't worry yourself about thiings you can't control."
And as for whether he'd end up owning Reading?
"I honestly have no idea."
Rob Couhig will undoubtably remain a 'marmite' figure for fans but having interviewed him for thirty minutes I found him to be tough but honest and straightforward. He makes no apology for wanting to buy the club, improve it and sell it on to an owner that will continue that improvement. He points to the shape he left Wycombe in.
Love him or hate him Rob Couhig may be Reading's best chance of survival.