Looks like the transformation from 'Club that nobody dislikes who play in Hobbiton' into 'nouveau riche bastards who might as well keep the FA Cup as they bought it' starts today.
Look at the positives:
We finally have a passionate local rivalry. One that will involve 12pm kickoffs and police horses on the pitch.
Dyson hand driers in the toilets.
Rafa Benitez and eleven random mercenaries will walk the league next season.
If we do buy it, then we've effectively stamped the nail in Reading's coffin. It's going to be sold to someone, but as a person with local ties, I'd like it to not be my club that signs their death certificate
World first for me, I agree with @bargepole - who gives a flying one about what the latest outrage is on Twitter. They’ll have moved on by mid-morning.
Can someone remind me how the mythical ‘football family’ came rushing to our aid when we had to sell our training ground to speculators and close down our youth academy? I can’t find the bit where Reading and Derby had a whip round and a charity concert for us.
As of now this remains very much a media rumour an still feels unlikely to me.
Suffice it to say that neither WWFC nor the Couhigs have the resources to spend £25m on a training ground, nor does a small Lg1 club with c 25 footballers on the books need one. If this is indeed true, it must surely be Lomtadze money and be a small part of a much bigger plan. But even if we build a new stadium by the M40 and relaunch the youth academy and invest shedloads in players, it is hard to see how the supporter base would grow sufficiently (we struggled to attract 3500 last home game) to make it a desirable proposition.
I did ponder the possibility of a merger between Wycombe and Reading (is the Thames Valley Royals brand name still available?) but surely in that case a logical businessman would base the merged club in Reading where the stadium exists and the bigger fan base resides. But if that is the aim of a new buyer, given the flack that would attract, surely much easier for Lomtadze to simply buy Reading. Don't see what we would add in that scenario.
Perhaps this will prove to be true and the plan will become clear in the next few weeks but it still feels very unlikely to me. Whisper their name but if businessmen really are trying to get a phoenix Wasps off the ground, wouldn't this facility plus playing games at Reading be a better bet than trying to build on a green field somewhere in Kent? I wonder if this is just a bit of media kite flying to stir up interest.
It’s very challenging to speculate on the variety of outcomes when The Athletic’s article is so ill-informed. I’m seeing a whole load of insult-slinging on twitter - it’s a shame it’s from those further ‘out of the know’.
Precisely what is happening? Who owns WWFC? Who is buying the training ground? Couhig? Lomtadze? Both? Wycombe Wanderers? Do the Trust still have a stake in the club? What about Marlow Road? Will this allow Reading to be sold at a cut price to a new investor that will take care of their club?
What if we didn’t purchase the training ground? Land gets sold and turned into expensive flats?
+ a million more questions
A whole load of bluster online about a whole load of unconfirmed reports. I’d rather sit out of the discussion until we’ve got a lot more concrete information.
To be honest, I don't think it'll just be Reading Fans there tomorrow night. I won't be attending but I am really disappointed in the club IF this transaction happens. I know that Rob has had his faults throughout his ownership, over promising & under delivering on several important topics which he has been forgiven for and we have learnt to take everything he says with a pinch of salt but (in my opinion) he has run this club well during his ownership.
However this "rumour" (at the moment) is a new level and proof that he is just like every other owner and not understanding the English Football Community.
The other way to look at this - and granted this is a bit tin foil - is Feliciana, or however you spell it, are looking at selling Wycombe Wanderers (as we know) and now looking buying Reading FC off of Dai what’s his face.
Get the training ground at a knock down.
Reading FC value plummets. Buy Reading football club.
Feliciana own both readings training ground and football club again and have, arguably a better product to try and get in the championship/prem with a billionaire backer.
That’s merely paperwork at this point, surely? I mean Pete and Missy aren’t on the board of directors anymore. Rob could resign too and the Billionaire isn’t anywhere near us officially.
The Billionaire himself, if looking to get into football could just pull out of us himself, and buy Reading.
And if Reading get more points deductions (then need a million after all) and are relegated, they won’t be in the same league.
Comments
Looks like the transformation from 'Club that nobody dislikes who play in Hobbiton' into 'nouveau riche bastards who might as well keep the FA Cup as they bought it' starts today.
Look at the positives:
Interesting times.
If we do buy it, then we've effectively stamped the nail in Reading's coffin. It's going to be sold to someone, but as a person with local ties, I'd like it to not be my club that signs their death certificate
You can see it now.
We move our training facilities to Bearwood, the facilities are not owned by us at Bearwood but by a third party, same as Booker.
Our training ground at Booker no longer owned by us gets permission for houses and makes the current owners a fortune.
Reading FC gets sold to the owner of the training ground at Bearwood. Our lease expires on said training ground.
Reading FC are a much better proposition than WWFC to a billionaire.
Very worrying times indeed.
I suspect it's fair to assume the Trust haven't been consulted on this.
Think I'm going to revisit my breakfast at the thought of that
Wycombe is currently ranked at 11 on the trending list for Twitter..... this is horrible
They don't need to be, do they?
Not for me it isn't. I have no twitter account, and never look at it except when someone copies and pastes a link on here.
Why anyone should think that the Elon Musk owned torrent of drivel is in any way relevant or significant, remains a mystery to me.
Bargepole strikes again!
World first for me, I agree with @bargepole - who gives a flying one about what the latest outrage is on Twitter. They’ll have moved on by mid-morning.
Can someone remind me how the mythical ‘football family’ came rushing to our aid when we had to sell our training ground to speculators and close down our youth academy? I can’t find the bit where Reading and Derby had a whip round and a charity concert for us.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/18278621.amp
As of now this remains very much a media rumour an still feels unlikely to me.
Suffice it to say that neither WWFC nor the Couhigs have the resources to spend £25m on a training ground, nor does a small Lg1 club with c 25 footballers on the books need one. If this is indeed true, it must surely be Lomtadze money and be a small part of a much bigger plan. But even if we build a new stadium by the M40 and relaunch the youth academy and invest shedloads in players, it is hard to see how the supporter base would grow sufficiently (we struggled to attract 3500 last home game) to make it a desirable proposition.
I did ponder the possibility of a merger between Wycombe and Reading (is the Thames Valley Royals brand name still available?) but surely in that case a logical businessman would base the merged club in Reading where the stadium exists and the bigger fan base resides. But if that is the aim of a new buyer, given the flack that would attract, surely much easier for Lomtadze to simply buy Reading. Don't see what we would add in that scenario.
Perhaps this will prove to be true and the plan will become clear in the next few weeks but it still feels very unlikely to me. Whisper their name but if businessmen really are trying to get a phoenix Wasps off the ground, wouldn't this facility plus playing games at Reading be a better bet than trying to build on a green field somewhere in Kent? I wonder if this is just a bit of media kite flying to stir up interest.
Indeed. Looks like we're playing with the big boys now and our billionaire dad is bigger than their billionaire dad.
We get a first class training ground at a bargain price. Lucky us.
And they can buy it back when it all goes tits up for us in a few years.
Is it possible this is part of a negotiating game with the Booker training ground owners?
It’s very challenging to speculate on the variety of outcomes when The Athletic’s article is so ill-informed. I’m seeing a whole load of insult-slinging on twitter - it’s a shame it’s from those further ‘out of the know’.
No-one is suggesting we should have a "whip round"
But some people would prefer not to be the actual speculators and perhaps be complicit in the eventual demise of a community's football club
Anyone thinking of heading to Adams Park tomorrow night?
It's almost certainly happening
Chatgpt: please construct a post speculating wildly on the motives for this story. Be sure to mention both a merger and Wasps.
An equally uneducated take.
Precisely what is happening? Who owns WWFC? Who is buying the training ground? Couhig? Lomtadze? Both? Wycombe Wanderers? Do the Trust still have a stake in the club? What about Marlow Road? Will this allow Reading to be sold at a cut price to a new investor that will take care of their club?
What if we didn’t purchase the training ground? Land gets sold and turned into expensive flats?
+ a million more questions
A whole load of bluster online about a whole load of unconfirmed reports. I’d rather sit out of the discussion until we’ve got a lot more concrete information.
The sale is almost certainly happening is what I meant - I have that on good authority. There seems to be a lot of dismissal of 'just speculation'.
Yes, but what we don't know is what has been agreed.
Will the cash from the sale go to Reading FC to keep them afloat for the rest of the season, or will Mr Yongge trouser it himself?
If the former, will there be a lease-back arrangement so that Reading can continue to train there?
What effect, if any, will this have on the valuation of Reading for a potential buyer?
Whatever the answers, our club needs to make a statement on this before a crowd of angry biscuitmen descend on AP tomorrow night.
The conspiracy theories are sure washing around this morning. From a full ‘Thames Valley Utd’ merger, to mighty Wycombe World domination.
Whatever is going on will be conducted on a need to know basis and we will probably be the last to know.
Just hold tight and see what comes around the corner.
Riots when they discover Millbrook School is closed.
What a time to be alive.
To be honest, I don't think it'll just be Reading Fans there tomorrow night. I won't be attending but I am really disappointed in the club IF this transaction happens. I know that Rob has had his faults throughout his ownership, over promising & under delivering on several important topics which he has been forgiven for and we have learnt to take everything he says with a pinch of salt but (in my opinion) he has run this club well during his ownership.
However this "rumour" (at the moment) is a new level and proof that he is just like every other owner and not understanding the English Football Community.
Where will they park all of their cars!?
The other way to look at this - and granted this is a bit tin foil - is Feliciana, or however you spell it, are looking at selling Wycombe Wanderers (as we know) and now looking buying Reading FC off of Dai what’s his face.
Get the training ground at a knock down.
Reading FC value plummets. Buy Reading football club.
Feliciana own both readings training ground and football club again and have, arguably a better product to try and get in the championship/prem with a billionaire backer.
Wycombe looking for completely new owners.
The EFL would never sanction one owner having two clubs in the same league.
Quite humorous that Reading fans are the ones calling us vultures, unable to separate a football owner from its fans. Ironic.
That’s merely paperwork at this point, surely? I mean Pete and Missy aren’t on the board of directors anymore. Rob could resign too and the Billionaire isn’t anywhere near us officially.
The Billionaire himself, if looking to get into football could just pull out of us himself, and buy Reading.
And if Reading get more points deductions (then need a million after all) and are relegated, they won’t be in the same league.