The Bedsheet Conspiracy: Reading, Wycombe Wanderers, and the Return of Bob Maxwell
In the heart of the Thames Valley, a secret plot was taking shape—one that threatened to change the landscape of English football forever. The scheme involved a merger between Reading and Wycombe Wanderers, orchestrated by two frontmen: Rob Couhig, the ambitious American lawyer, and Mikheil Lomatzde, a shadowy Georgian businessman with a mysterious past. But the real mastermind behind the plan was none other than Bob Maxwell, the media tycoon thought to have died in 1991, who was secretly alive and pulling the strings.
The Master Plan
The plan began when Rob Couhig decided to sell Wycombe Wanderers to Lomatzde, seemingly to focus on new ventures. But in reality, this move was the first step in Maxwell’s grand design. After offloading Wycombe to Lomatzde, Couhig immediately set his sights on Reading FC, quickly acquiring the club and positioning himself as the face of the new Reading-Wycombe merger.
The merger was framed as a way to create a footballing powerhouse in the Thames Valley, combining the strengths of both clubs. The public was told this would bring financial stability, better facilities, and a stronger team capable of competing at the highest levels. However, the true motive was much darker: Maxwell aimed to use the merged club as a vehicle for laundering money and regaining his influence in the business world.
The Discovery
Enter Thomas Davidson, a passionate Wycombe Wanderers supporter and fixture at every game home and away, known for rallying the crowd with his relentless drumming. Tom had long been suspicious of Couhig’s sudden sale of Wycombe and the rapid developments at Reading. One night, while helping a friend who worked at a local textile factory, Tom stumbled upon something strange—a shipment of bedsheets adorned with the new club’s colours and logo.
As Tom examined the sheets, he noticed something unsettling: a barely visible watermark bearing the initials "RM." Tom’s instincts told him this was no coincidence. Digging deeper, he uncovered the truth—Maxwell, long presumed dead, was alive and using Couhig and Lomatzde as his puppets.
The Bedsheet Sabotage
Realizing the significance of the bedsheets, which were to be distributed to fans at a massive "unity" event promoting the merger, Tom hatched a plan. He and a group of loyal Wycombe supporters secretly altered the watermark on the sheets to read "STOP THE MERGER." Their hope was that this cryptic message would alert fans to the sinister plot and spark public outcry.
The Unravelling
On the day of the event, thousands of fans gathered, proudly waving their bedsheets—only to be met with confusion as the altered message became clear. The atmosphere quickly turned from celebration to chaos. News outlets picked up the story, and within hours, the public was buzzing with rumours of Maxwell’s return and the true purpose behind the merger.
The backlash was immediate. Fans of both clubs united in protest, and the story of Maxwell’s involvement spread like wildfire. The merger talks quickly collapsed under the weight of the scandal, with Couhig and Lomatzde unable to maintain their grip on the situation.
The Aftermath
Rob Couhig, now tarnished by the failed plot, retreated from the public eye, while Lomatzde, exposed as Maxwell’s proxy, quietly disappeared from football. Tom became a local legend, hailed for his role in saving Wycombe Wanderers from losing its identity.
As for Bob Maxwell, he once again vanished into the shadows, leaving behind more questions than answers. Some say he’s still out there, waiting for his next opportunity to strike. But thanks to Tom and the power of fan resistance, his plan to reshape football in the Thames Valley was foiled—at least for now.
NOBODY could lose that much weight in a lifetime, let alone three decades.
If RC does become our owner I hope he will stop using the term "Ding". it is something which I hate and is used by the younger and more offensive newer supporters.
No you are welcome to hope that. I admit I am churlishly imagining the expression on Rob’s face. I know he did a lot of good for us. I am just being mean.
Bloomfield was especially ecstatic because Couhig had told him that morning he was buying Reading. Look where the celebration was directed.
I don’t want to prove or be cited and couldn’t care less whether anyone believes me. I’m telling what I know. Which is it was well known that Couhig was buying Reading prior to the Bearwood saga being made public.
We do not know yet what percentage of Reading Couhig actually owns and what percentage the others buyers own. With what he got from the sale of Wycombe he could probably afford a decent percentage, although I doubt it is a majority stake.
BTW, I think his ‘up the ding’ reference is as bad as his ‘ up the Wyc’ reference. Total rubbish!!!
Go on then 👍 But I’m still singing “Couhig, what’s the score?” when we beat you. Along with “Shove that up your ding” when Kone administers the coup de grâce both home and away.
I hope this is not true, simply because it would make RC's reasons for selling Wycombe (getting old, air travel etc.) completely deceptive, as opposed to being genuine in the moment.
When I awoke at 3.30pm from an involuntary sleep I was surprised to discover such a miscellany of posts that had accumulated in the meantime.
The ding dong discussion had mercifully run its course, @Onlooker had written a riveting novelette and @Midlander had introduced the notion, totally unsupported by admissible evidence, that Rob Couhig had been planning long before “Wycombe’s attempts to buy Bearwood were made public” to make a bid for Reading Football Club.
To cap it all, someone introduced the notion that Rob Couhig could be a slimmed down reincarnation of Robert Maxwell who tried to gain ownership of Reading FC towards the end of the last century.
Fortunately, a degree of sanity has now been restored.
It's well known that Matt Bloomfield celebrated beating Reading because he's actually Dai Yonge in a rubber mask and he would have got away with it if it wasn't for you pesky kids. Well known. Everyone knows that.
To be truthfully I fully expected Matt Bloomfield to be in floods of tears after the win and immediately hand in his resignation, he must have been full of remorse at what his team had just done.
Comments
I'm probably in a minority here, and I'm sorry if it sounds a bit horrible, but there's a small part of me that wants it to go tits up.
The Bedsheet Conspiracy: Reading, Wycombe Wanderers, and the Return of Bob Maxwell
In the heart of the Thames Valley, a secret plot was taking shape—one that threatened to change the landscape of English football forever. The scheme involved a merger between Reading and Wycombe Wanderers, orchestrated by two frontmen: Rob Couhig, the ambitious American lawyer, and Mikheil Lomatzde, a shadowy Georgian businessman with a mysterious past. But the real mastermind behind the plan was none other than Bob Maxwell, the media tycoon thought to have died in 1991, who was secretly alive and pulling the strings.
The Master Plan
The plan began when Rob Couhig decided to sell Wycombe Wanderers to Lomatzde, seemingly to focus on new ventures. But in reality, this move was the first step in Maxwell’s grand design. After offloading Wycombe to Lomatzde, Couhig immediately set his sights on Reading FC, quickly acquiring the club and positioning himself as the face of the new Reading-Wycombe merger.
The merger was framed as a way to create a footballing powerhouse in the Thames Valley, combining the strengths of both clubs. The public was told this would bring financial stability, better facilities, and a stronger team capable of competing at the highest levels. However, the true motive was much darker: Maxwell aimed to use the merged club as a vehicle for laundering money and regaining his influence in the business world.
The Discovery
Enter Thomas Davidson, a passionate Wycombe Wanderers supporter and fixture at every game home and away, known for rallying the crowd with his relentless drumming. Tom had long been suspicious of Couhig’s sudden sale of Wycombe and the rapid developments at Reading. One night, while helping a friend who worked at a local textile factory, Tom stumbled upon something strange—a shipment of bedsheets adorned with the new club’s colours and logo.
As Tom examined the sheets, he noticed something unsettling: a barely visible watermark bearing the initials "RM." Tom’s instincts told him this was no coincidence. Digging deeper, he uncovered the truth—Maxwell, long presumed dead, was alive and using Couhig and Lomatzde as his puppets.
The Bedsheet Sabotage
Realizing the significance of the bedsheets, which were to be distributed to fans at a massive "unity" event promoting the merger, Tom hatched a plan. He and a group of loyal Wycombe supporters secretly altered the watermark on the sheets to read "STOP THE MERGER." Their hope was that this cryptic message would alert fans to the sinister plot and spark public outcry.
The Unravelling
On the day of the event, thousands of fans gathered, proudly waving their bedsheets—only to be met with confusion as the altered message became clear. The atmosphere quickly turned from celebration to chaos. News outlets picked up the story, and within hours, the public was buzzing with rumours of Maxwell’s return and the true purpose behind the merger.
The backlash was immediate. Fans of both clubs united in protest, and the story of Maxwell’s involvement spread like wildfire. The merger talks quickly collapsed under the weight of the scandal, with Couhig and Lomatzde unable to maintain their grip on the situation.
The Aftermath
Rob Couhig, now tarnished by the failed plot, retreated from the public eye, while Lomatzde, exposed as Maxwell’s proxy, quietly disappeared from football. Tom became a local legend, hailed for his role in saving Wycombe Wanderers from losing its identity.
As for Bob Maxwell, he once again vanished into the shadows, leaving behind more questions than answers. Some say he’s still out there, waiting for his next opportunity to strike. But thanks to Tom and the power of fan resistance, his plan to reshape football in the Thames Valley was foiled—at least for now.
The greatest 70's comedy was, obviously, Man About the Tits.
As for RC, we had a great time when he was the owner and he's left us with exciting times to come. That can never be 'tarnished'.
If Robert Maxwell has been on a diet these last 33 years he'd look at lot like ...
RC?
Maybe he's making a comeback.
Really? I don't remember any chat about RC having ambitions to buy Reading prior to him leaving us.
NOBODY could lose that much weight in a lifetime, let alone three decades.
If RC does become our owner I hope he will stop using the term "Ding". it is something which I hate and is used by the younger and more offensive newer supporters.
Not wishing to cause alarm but, in response to an FOI request, this was forwarded to me from the National Highways planning office:-
Sorry to disappoint @theRoyalBiscuit but RC loves that kind of expression, you'll just have to grit your teeth.
Daytime fireworks are a real treat too, although the cheerleaders probably won't be making a comeback.
Pity about the cheerleaders, I was looking forward to seeing those miniskirts! 😀 (only joking)
Is it wrong of me to hope we send Reading down on the 5th April?
Would it be wrong for me to hope we send you down that day? But I will hope that neither of us do so, if that could be an outcome that day.
[citation needed]
The Gasroom is not Wikipedia.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.
The Gasroom is not a court of law.
Ask yourself why Bloomfield was so ecstatic when Wycombe won at Reading.
If I was a Reading fan I’d be much more concerned about where the money was coming from.
I was ecstatic too, doesn't prove any connection with RC being looking to buy Reading.
If you're going to make a wild claim and fail to back it up with any evidence be prepared to have it called bullsh*t.
If it was indeed well know it shouldn't be hard to give a least one piece of evidence.
No you are welcome to hope that. I admit I am churlishly imagining the expression on Rob’s face. I know he did a lot of good for us. I am just being mean.
Fair enough. Let's be friends then.
Possibly but I think the three of us have done it to death now and the winning suggestion was @StrongestTeam’s Ding Dong Derby.
I enjoyed @Theatre_of_Chairs’s post at 12.09pm which made a lot of sense.
But I was saddened to be reminded by @frequentstander that Rob Couhig (allegedly?) supports the contemptible Trump.
Bloomfield was especially ecstatic because Couhig had told him that morning he was buying Reading. Look where the celebration was directed.
I don’t want to prove or be cited and couldn’t care less whether anyone believes me. I’m telling what I know. Which is it was well known that Couhig was buying Reading prior to the Bearwood saga being made public.
We do not know yet what percentage of Reading Couhig actually owns and what percentage the others buyers own. With what he got from the sale of Wycombe he could probably afford a decent percentage, although I doubt it is a majority stake.
BTW, I think his ‘up the ding’ reference is as bad as his ‘ up the Wyc’ reference. Total rubbish!!!
Go on then 👍 But I’m still singing “Couhig, what’s the score?” when we beat you. Along with “Shove that up your ding” when Kone administers the coup de grâce both home and away.
Well exactly. Surely some Reading fans are asking those questions.
The 'Ding was perfectly acceptable vernacular when i lived in Reading, up the Wyc always sounded uncomfortable.
I hope this is not true, simply because it would make RC's reasons for selling Wycombe (getting old, air travel etc.) completely deceptive, as opposed to being genuine in the moment.
Now now, play nice. 😉
When I awoke at 3.30pm from an involuntary sleep I was surprised to discover such a miscellany of posts that had accumulated in the meantime.
The ding dong discussion had mercifully run its course, @Onlooker had written a riveting novelette and @Midlander had introduced the notion, totally unsupported by admissible evidence, that Rob Couhig had been planning long before “Wycombe’s attempts to buy Bearwood were made public” to make a bid for Reading Football Club.
To cap it all, someone introduced the notion that Rob Couhig could be a slimmed down reincarnation of Robert Maxwell who tried to gain ownership of Reading FC towards the end of the last century.
Fortunately, a degree of sanity has now been restored.
It's a football forum the day before the first home game of the season, after what seems like a long break.
Why would you expect there to be any sanity at all in the postings @micra?
Apart from your own, that is.
It's well known that Matt Bloomfield celebrated beating Reading because he's actually Dai Yonge in a rubber mask and he would have got away with it if it wasn't for you pesky kids. Well known. Everyone knows that.
To be truthfully I fully expected Matt Bloomfield to be in floods of tears after the win and immediately hand in his resignation, he must have been full of remorse at what his team had just done.
If you know, you know ,😉.