New Owners - Redwood Watch

[RoyalBlue]

WIth the window now closed, I think it's fair to say 'The boys did pretty good!'

[Sutekh]

WIth the window now closed, I think it's fair to say 'The boys did pretty good!'

Yes, much superior to the summer and therefore hopeful for the future windows. Probably the best since before those before you know who arrived.

[Clyde1998]

The Israeli guy (or the one that owns an Israeli club anyway) is out in terms of shareholding:

Reading Football Club can confirm that Ross Kestin has sold his shareholding in Dogwood Football LLC to Rob Couhig, Todd Trosclair and Rick Catania.

The transaction was completed amicably, and the Club is delighted to confirm that Ross will remain on the Reading FC Board as a director.

The move enables Ross to focus more time on his footballing interests in Israel, while continuing to offer his business expertise and insight to the Royals’ Board.

Royals Chairman Rob Couhig said: “As we keep moving Reading Football Club forward, it’s important that we retain strong, experienced voices around the table. This was an amicable transaction, and we’re delighted that Ross will continue as a director, offering valuable insight and support as we build for the long term.”

Think he was involved with Aliya Capital Partners.

Haven't heard anything from him since he was announced tbh, so don't know how much he actually provided to us.

He continues on the board though.

[Clyde1998]

Rob Couhig and Todd Trosclair's Q&A from before the game yesterday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j0mwyySRxw

[Linden Jones' Tash]

Reading Chronicle spinning a line from an interview with RC as a sign of a potential early flip...

Behind a pay wall so haven't read the details, but could be a softening up exercise if there is an opportunity for a quick profit...

Seems to be blaming his hip replacement....

[Clyde1998]

Reading Chronicle spinning a line from an interview with RC as a sign of a potential early flip...

Behind a pay wall so haven't read the details, but could be a softening up exercise if there is an opportunity for a quick profit...

Seems to be blaming his hip replacement....

Reading FC owner and chairman Rob Couhig has cast doubt over the length of his club ownership as his hip injury brings a sharp 'reality check' - with the ownership group actively listening to offers.

Rob Couhig had to replace his hip earlier this year after having tripped over a ledge whilst trying to get a better view of New Year's Eve fireworks, which forced the Reading FC owner to spend a lengthy period in Berkshire.

Earlier this year, after a busy start to the January transfer window with Reading FC making two permanent signings in the winter transfer window for the first time in years, the Royals chairman said that on the pitch upgrades were not the only facet of investment that the ownership group were focused on - with Couhig revealing to the Chronicle that himself and co-owner Todd Trosclair had been putting in a £1 million into the club monthly.

He said at the time: "Todd and I put in a million pounds almost every month because we haven't drawn the crowds that we've expected to.

"We're limited in what we can spend on our players by SCMP. "

He added: "We're not going to miss a bill. We're going to pay our bills."

Two months later with Reading FC now sitting in 7th and only one point away from the play-off spots, Couhig has revealed that the phone won't stop ringing from interested buyers and investors.

In the last few weeks alone, the club announced a long-term commercial partnership with cybersecurity company Barracuda, which will see their logo on the sleeve on the Reading FC first-team kit.

The club is in the best financial position it has been in for years following investment, strategic commercial partnerships and on-field results.

The Reading FC owner revealed to the Chronicle that the ownership group received two calls last week from "legitimate buyers who are now looking at the club" - and emphasised that this is due to the position that the club is currently in and the asset it has become.

When asked by the Chronicle if Rob Couhig wants to be the owner of Reading FC for a long time and if there is a suitable offer, will the club consider selling - he said "both".

He added: "I want to own the club because I enjoy it. The days I don't want to own the club is when I'm getting off the plane, having flown for 20 hours and I'm thinking what can I do?

"The little setback with my hip brought in the sharp reality of the fact that I'm 76 years old. Am I going to want to commute here for the next 10 years? Probably not.

"Am I willing to do it for the next five years where we bring this club to where we can be? Probably.

"On the other hand, you know, some guy knocks at your door, what are you supposed to say?"

Couhig has reiterated that he is happy and not looking to sell at this current moment in time.

He added: "There is so much we wish to accomplish on and off the pitch."

[Esteban]

Reading Chronicle spinning a line from an interview with RC as a sign of a potential early flip...

Behind a pay wall so haven't read the details, but could be a softening up exercise if there is an opportunity for a quick profit...

Seems to be blaming his hip replacement....

Reading FC owner and chairman Rob Couhig has cast doubt over the length of his club ownership as his hip injury brings a sharp 'reality check' - with the ownership group actively listening to offers.

Rob Couhig had to replace his hip earlier this year after having tripped over a ledge whilst trying to get a better view of New Year's Eve fireworks, which forced the Reading FC owner to spend a lengthy period in Berkshire.

Earlier this year, after a busy start to the January transfer window with Reading FC making two permanent signings in the winter transfer window for the first time in years, the Royals chairman said that on the pitch upgrades were not the only facet of investment that the ownership group were focused on - with Couhig revealing to the Chronicle that himself and co-owner Todd Trosclair had been putting in a £1 million into the club monthly.

He said at the time: "Todd and I put in a million pounds almost every month because we haven't drawn the crowds that we've expected to.

"We're limited in what we can spend on our players by SCMP. "

He added: "We're not going to miss a bill. We're going to pay our bills."

Two months later with Reading FC now sitting in 7th and only one point away from the play-off spots, Couhig has revealed that the phone won't stop ringing from interested buyers and investors.

In the last few weeks alone, the club announced a long-term commercial partnership with cybersecurity company Barracuda, which will see their logo on the sleeve on the Reading FC first-team kit.

The club is in the best financial position it has been in for years following investment, strategic commercial partnerships and on-field results.

The Reading FC owner revealed to the Chronicle that the ownership group received two calls last week from "legitimate buyers who are now looking at the club" - and emphasised that this is due to the position that the club is currently in and the asset it has become.

When asked by the Chronicle if Rob Couhig wants to be the owner of Reading FC for a long time and if there is a suitable offer, will the club consider selling - he said "both".

He added: "I want to own the club because I enjoy it. The days I don't want to own the club is when I'm getting off the plane, having flown for 20 hours and I'm thinking what can I do?

"The little setback with my hip brought in the sharp reality of the fact that I'm 76 years old. Am I going to want to commute here for the next 10 years? Probably not.

"Am I willing to do it for the next five years where we bring this club to where we can be? Probably.

"On the other hand, you know, some guy knocks at your door, what are you supposed to say?"

Couhig has reiterated that he is happy and not looking to sell at this current moment in time.

He added: "There is so much we wish to accomplish on and off the pitch."

Doesn't really say much we didn't already know. The man is 76 years old, of course he's not going to be here very long term.

[Clyde1998]

Basically what anyone should already know, but:

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has said that Reading FC owners Rob Couhig and Todd Trosclair pumping £1 million a month into the club is a 'dangerous' strategy.

Maguire, a Football Finance lecturer at Liverpool University and co-host of the Price of Football podcast, spoke to the Chronicle about Reading FC's financial health and sustainability since it was taken over from Dai Yongge by Redwood Holdings Limited – a subsidiary company of Dogwood LLC, owned by Rob Couhig and Todd Trosclair.

When asked by the Chronicle how sustainable it is for owner's to put injecting £1 million a month from their own money into the club, Maguire said: "Well, over 80 clubs out of the 92 are losing money and therefore they are operating in a precarious environment and that does mean that there's an ongoing risk that if the owner's circumstances change, which appeared to be the case with the previous owner, or the owner's attitude towards the club changes.

"We saw that in Derby County where their owner, Mel Morris, what happened is that effectively he woke up one morning and said why am I doing this and put the club into administration.

"It means that there is a risk of being over-dependent upon one or two individuals if the club is able to keep the lights on. So that's quite a high business risk and it's a danger.

"Having said that, if you take a look at the track record of football, it has muddled through with this model for decades, velocities have not really decreased. If anything over the last five years or so they've probably increased.

"They've certainly increased in League One where Reading are at present. League One used to be relatively sane by football standards but losses have increased in the last two to three years because clubs think that there's an opportunity to not just get to the Championship but to get them through the Championship and reap the rewards that you see in the Premier League.

"How do you achieve success in football? You achieve success by winning matches. How do you win matches? Because you've got better players. How do you get better players? Because you pay them higher wages.

"So what is seen as the pathway to football success is one which is quite easy to follow and it can come down to whether or not the owner is willing, when that doesn't work, to continue to incur that level of losses."

Earlier this year, after a busy start to the January transfer window with Reading FC making two permanent signings in the winter transfer window for the first time in years, the Royals chairman Rob Couhig said that on the pitch upgrades were not the only facet of investment that the ownership group were focused on - with Couhig revealing to the Chronicle that himself and co-owner Todd Trosclair had been putting in a £1 million into the club monthly.

He said at the time: "Todd and I put in a million pounds almost every month because we haven't drawn the crowds that we've expected to.

"We're limited in what we can spend on our players by SCMP. "

He added: "We're not going to miss a bill. We're going to pay our bills."

When asked how long the owners can keep putting £1 million a month into the club before it becomes unsustainable, Maguire said: "That comes down to the wealth and the willingness of the owner.

"If you take a look at Bristol City, they've been in the Championship for an awful lot of years and their owner has been putting in probably more than £1 million a month. You've got the Hemmings family at Preston who've been putting in £1 million a month. You've got Millwall all the same.

It comes down to how much money you've got spare and how long you're willing to continue to fund the losses of the club.

"If we take a look at what happened at Sheffield Wednesday, he put in the money until he ran out. Again, the club went into administration and we were left with a mess. Football is littered with this over the years. Derby, Sheffield Wednesday, Wigan and so on.

"The willingness of other people to come in and buy football clubs is far greater than in other sports - we've just lost in Rugby League, we've lost Salford Red Devils, in Rugby Union, we've lost Worcester Warriors, one of the jersey teams has gone, Wasps have gone, London Irish have gone and they haven't been replaced.

"So, I think we're fortunate in football that what you might regard as the bigger fool theory, i.e. there's another idiot prepared to come along, there's another fool willing to come in and try something that they think they can do better and then they find out quickly that football is such a crazy industry that it just sucks all your cash out and then you pass on to someone else."