League One news: Optimism at Reading FC as Rob Couhig buys out unpopular Dai Yongge

For several years now, being a fan of Berkshire-based Reading Football Club has been an arduous ordeal as a 150-year-old institution, once the symbol of responsible football governance, was driven to the brink of extinction by owner Dai Yongge.

Yongge, who many Royals fans have a less than stellar opinion of, became a majority shareholder in May 2017 and subsequently made a series of unpopular decisions that led to the club suffering numerous points deductions due to financial irregularities.

Eventually disqualified under EFL rules around ownership, Yongge was forced to sell his shares to Rob Couhig, former owner of Wycombe Wanderers, in May 2025.

With the takeover officially completed, Film News Blitz and Sports News Blitz writer David Bason surveys the scene at the Madejski Stadium and counts himself bloody delighted to be a Reading fan once again.

Eight years of misery under Yongge

Yongge and his sister, Dai Xiu Li, purchased Reading just days before an agonising Championship play-off final loss to Huddersfield in 2017.

The following eight years have seen a total of 18 points deducted, relegation to League One, Reading FC Women being torn apart, transfer bans, staff redundancies, and more as the club went on a downward spiral and almost went out of existence.

Although Yongge did put the club up for sale in March 2024, his actions always seemed to speak for someone determined to have Reading folded, the same fate that befell the Chinese businessman’s two other clubs, Beijing Renhe in China and KSV Roeselare in Belgium.

A campaign to get Yongge out of the club began before he put the Royals up for sale, with transfer embargos, points deductions, and staggering financial losses forcing the Sell Before We Dai group into existence in June 2023.

In their own words, Sell Before We Dai “threw tennis balls, showed red cards, got a game abandoned, lobbied outside Parliament, [and] marched through the streets of Reading for the first time since 1983” as well as engaged with politicians and enlisted “the support of some of the biggest names in football” to keep the pressure on Yongge and force the club to be sold.

Several exclusivity periods came and went as Yongge, consistently a quiet owner determined to keep fans in the dark, routinely bungled deal after deal to sell.

However, one party was quite persistent in attempting to complete a Reading takeover and wrestle it from Yongge’s death grip: former Wycombe Wanderers owner and chairman Couhig.

Couhig had become a cause for concern to Reading fans while still at Wycombe, when he worked to purchase the club’s state-of-the-art Bearwood training facility in early 2024.

That never came to pass, though, and, once Couhig emerged as a contender in Yongge’s sale, the American tried to make it up to the club by communicating with fans on social media and even putting money into helping keep the club alive.

Regardless, in true Yongge fashion, Couhig’s bid to buy the club was thrown out in September 2024 and the sale that many thought would never be completed sadly continued.

The saga looked to get even worse this spring when Yongge attempted to get an injunction against Couhig, claiming the American businessman was blocking the sale.

Much to the delight of Reading fans, the judge threw the claim out.

It was then revealed that the EFL had disqualified Yongge as an owner and handed him an ultimatum: sell Reading or the club could be suspended from the league.

In the following weeks, Yongge’s deadline was extended time and again as Couhig returned as the primary candidate to purchase the club.

Finally, hours ahead of an unsuccessful ploy to break into the play-offs on May 3, Couhig’s takeover was announced.

11 days later, the complete purchase of Reading FC, the Bearwood training ground, and the Select Car Leasing Stadium by Couhig and his business partner Todd Trosclair under the Redwood Holdings Limited banner was announced.

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Optimism returns under Couhig

In the weeks following Couhig and Trosclair’s takeover, being a Reading fan has become an absolute joy.

Couhig has communicated with the fans more in this short period than his predecessor did in eight years.

Former Wycombe captain Joe Jacobson has also been installed as a football-minded CEO and the fans have been respected with a season ticket price freeze that has seen huge support.

Moreover, a select number of season ticket renewers are being rewarded with a visit to the Bearwood training ground and a lucky few will sit with Couhig in the director’s box at the start of the season.

The community spirit that saw Reading thrive under Sir John Madejski finally looks to be back in full force.

And as if all that wasn’t enough, the club’s best player, Lewis Wing, has signed a three-year contract extension – rejoice!

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More to come from new ownership

Couhig has further committed to upgrading Reading’s stadium, with a consultation already underway in order to turn it into a leading venue.

Pending EFL approval, more investment could be on the way in the form of US firm Aliya Capital, with its founding partner Ross Kestin poised to join the club’s board.

This could see Reading go from financial frailty to security in a matter of months, all under a new owner who wishes to be careful, considered, and act in the best interests of the club’s long-term health.

Sure, announcements on player contracts and new signings haven’t been forthcoming, but time will bring good news on that front for sure.

What is important is that, for the first time in a long time, Reading is being built on solid foundations by people who care about the historic club and its fans.

Come on URZ!

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