A 10-Point Plan For Rob Couhig’s First 100 Days At Reading
Marc suggests how the Royals' new owner could hit the ground running.
So, Rob Couhig looks likely to become the new owner of Reading Football Club.
This would be joyous news but, as a man who voted Labour in the General Election, much of that joy is more down to kicking out the rubbish incumbent than any love for the new guy. However, there are plenty of things Couhig could do right away to show he’s a strong and stable leader and, in that political vein, here are 10 things I would want done in his first 100 days in Berkshire.
Hire, hire, hire
One of the most damaging impacts of Dai Yongge’s tenure is just how much the inside of the club has been decimated. Cost-cutting has seen the redundancy axe swung several times and roles have not been filled across several departments.
Personally, I would prioritise investing in staff as an early win to help grow Reading’s commercial revenue, get a full media team in place and to make the club feel like more than the shell it has recently become.
Forget about the Premier League
We can all remember the owners, chiefly in the Premier League boom time across the late 2000s and early 2010s, who rocked up from far-flung lands and declared that Champions League football would be brought to Birmingham/Blackburn/Shepherd’s Bush within five years.
I have absolutely no interest in being told that Reading are destined for the Premier League anytime soon. Firstly, what’s the bloody point in sitting through a 5-0 thumping by Arsenal, only to have your late consolation ruled out by VAR?
Secondly, it would ignore every single reason the club ended up in this mess. Aim for Championship stability in the coming years, sure, but don’t be daft enough to put a number on it. Do not, and I cannot stress this enough, get ahead of yourself.
Guarantee the academy’s Category 1 status
As myself and many fans have argued during this bust period, there is a genuinely feasible way of making Reading both successful and profitable. In short: invest in the academy, convince youngsters to join us as a more legitimate pathway than top-flight teams, give them contracts, play them in the first team, sell for profit or get promoted. Simples…
None of this can happen without the Category 1 status of the academy and guaranteeing the investment needed for that (which will pay for itself) and the required ethos of making it work has to be a top priority for anyone who knows business and football.
Sign a handful of players, tops
The current squad of Reading players is probably not going to get promoted. But at least, unlike in previous years, it is actually a full squad of players. Ruben Selles doesn’t have gaping holes, only areas of improvement. That means the club should be a bit more laser-focused and limited to maybe around two to five additions for now, particularly given the best free agents are likely gone.
I actually think playing last year’s team again means we can hit the ground running better than many rivals who are going to have to wait for their 10 or so signings to gel. Come January and that might be different, but for now let’s focus on stability.
Create a five-year plan for the Women’s team
It was wholly depressing but ultimately not surprising to see the Women’s and girl’s teams thrown under the bus this summer. The women’s game in this country has short- and long-term issues when it comes to making money, which Reading aren’t immune to, and it’s a simple fact that the WSL will next year be entirely made up of Premier League clubs who can afford a far better women’s team than a League One club can.
So, a steady rise back up the leagues it is. But Couhig must re-establish the women’s academy with the same mission statement as the men’s and I would love to see a plan to return it to full professional status within a few years.
Open up not just one, not just two... but *several* lines of communications to fans
It’s easy to be selfish or biased here and demand that the only way Couhig can properly interact with proper fans through a proper channel is through, err, this website. Even this very esteemed outlet only reaches a fraction of the fanbase, but that’s true for every medium these days.
It won’t be enough to do a sit-down with a broadsheet, where a 90-minute chat is edited down to 500 words. It won’t be enough to do a 15-minute call-in to BBC Berks. It won’t be enough to bat away some PR-friendly meatballs on the official club channels. It won’t be enough to let the local newspapers get in on a roundtable. It won’t be enough to let a fan website and podcast, no matter how brilliant it may be, pop down to Bearwood for a meet-and-greet.
No, instead he should be doing practically all of those things. Reading fans were absolutely starving for communication from Dai Yongge, not only to know about the club but also the man and to build a connection to both. This would be an easy win for Couhig to set out who he is, what he wants to do and why the fans should back him.
Set up a standing order to HMRC
Just pay the bloody bills. Please.
Decide Mark Bowen’s future
With an FA gambling charge hanging over Reading’s head of football operations, it seems foolish not to plan for life either temporarily or permanently without Mark Bowen. Couhig may want to bring in his own people to run the club and, given the circumstances, I would say a ‘wait and see’ approach probably isn’t best.
Selles has to stay, of course, and probably given an extra year on his contract, but getting the boardroom decision-making structure cleared up is a priority.
Get to grips with the EFL
Reading are under a transfer embargo until next year and require an EFL green light on practically every penny spent. If Couhig can get them around the table to appeal for leniency, on grounds of new ownership and a proper plan being in place, then this would be a huge boost.
If Reading are anywhere near the promotion (or relegation) picture come January then reinforcements will surely be required and getting some public clarity on what the EFL are demanding will settle fans’ nerves. It would also be good to eliminate any fear of points deductions lingering over from the Dai years.
Answer the Bearwood question
The one thing that Reading fans knew about Couhig before this deal was that he tried to buy Bearwood off the club. The one thing Couhig should know about Reading fans was that this went down as well as a lead balloon filled with sick.
It was a horrible few days for us, thinking that an integral asset was being stripped at the benefit of a rival and our hated owner. So he needs to tell us what role he had in it, whether he actually understands why it upset us, and ideally also why his nephew and Wycombe boardroom partner Pete decided to engage in some pointless goading of fans on Twitter.
I personally won’t buy the ‘it was a good deal for Reading, honest!’ line, but if he comes out with something like ‘I know it was a dick move but I did it to benefit my team and I’ll be just as ruthless to benefit Reading’, then you fancy most fans would say ‘fair dos’ and move on.