We're still in the honeymoon phase. In a few years the team sheet is going to look like a Scrabble board after an earthquake and we'll be playing in a new stadium very near our London training ground. But I suppose we'll be in the Premier League and that will drown out any moaning.
I agree but not sure we will be in the Premier League by then but I can certainly envisage the new ground near the training ground and a very competitive Championship club.
Why would that be shameful? In order to buy low and sell at a profit later he'll have to sort out the financial mess they are in.
That in itself will be a major achievement and better than the alternative which is increasingly looking like Reading going bust.
I don't understand why people think anyone buying a football club should do it for love and charity and not expect to make a profit further down the line.
Sorry, Ed_ and any others who thought I was vilifying Rob Couhig, that was never my intension. I was just trying to find out how long this latest situation was likely to take and if it would be months or years before this is concluded.
The claim was filed in the Commercial Division of the High Court, and is a complex case expected to last 2 weeks or more of hearing time, with multiple witnesses, and both sides represented by KCs and junior counsel. Probably 000s of pages of evidence, witness statements, and legal submissions as well.
It is unlikely to come in front of a Judge before Dec 2025 / Jan 2026 at the earliest.
Any new ground won't be anywhere near the training ground, isn't there a rule now it has to be within a certain distance ? Sorry, I know I could Google it myself but about to go out... shouldn't even be on here really !!
We can take a pop at Rob C he is an easy target and has a hint of the snake oil salesman about him. However, he and Pete did effectively save our skin and we had a good ride with them - just as long as one didn’t swallow all his shtick. For the record @Wendoverman the cheerleaders were not his idea or indeed to his taste, that was Mark Palmer who read the room wrong and was on the way out pretty quick thereafter.
As for our future, it really is beginning to feel like we could be the next Bournemouth (note to self: this could be the big time or it could be the same old shtick just with more noughts behind it!)
It is being reported that both Knibbs and Wing are targets for Selles (Hull City), in the January window. Maybe Wingy will get his move up north and into the Championship?
It will be kerching for the lawyers involved. Both sides are likely to incur legal costs in six figures, and the normal procedure is that the losing party has to pay their own costs, plus the full legal costs of the successful party.
Given the sums involved, I wouldn't be surprised if whoever loses takes the case to the Court of Appeal, and even the Supreme Court beyond that. Trebles all round at one set of chambers.
Apologies for barging in, but that would be contempt of court for starters and assets that are in the UK jurisdiction are liable to be seized. Bargepole will of course be able to give a more exact and more detailed view.
@theRoyalBiscuit the vilification comment wasn't aimed in the slightest at you, more at the elements of the Reading fan base who were so vocal and so vile towards him and his family. Other Reading fans of a more temperate disposition are of course available, for what that may be worth.
Financial accounts make very interesting reading. Negative Net Worth £155M at 30 June 2022. Loss £21M. If they lose the case they cannot pay without further cash injections from the owner.
The Stadium is registered as a Community Asset. also if rumours are true, is security on a loan from a Chinese Bank. How would this affect the resolution, if both the stadium and Bearwood are owned by Renhe Sports management? Not sure if they are, with all the devious ways Dai has worked his dealings with RFC.
it is unlikely that Couhig’s case will make it to court. He is trying to create an obstacle to any future sale of Reading FC that any future buyer would insist the seller gets rid of by settling the case before the sale transaction can complete. It’s the same process as he used with Derby.
Civil matters cannot be appealed to the Court of Appeal or Supreme Court by the losing party without the Court’s permission which will be given only if the losing party can demonstrate a failure of legal process or serious legal error not simply because he doesn’t like the verdict. That outcome feels very unlikely.
with respect to @bargepole , he is not a lawyer involved in large complicated legal claims. His expertise is sorting out parking tickets…..
With respect to @DevC , private parking tickets only make up about 10% of my caseload these days. For example, I have two cases coming up in January, one involving business rates, and the other about leasehold service charges, both involving thousands of £££.
It is correct that appeals to a higher court require the losing party to seek permission to appeal, citing an error in law by the original Judge, or a finding of fact that was not reasonable on the evidence provided. I was involved in the ParkingEye v Beavis case, which went all the way to the Supreme Court in 2015.
Whether or not Couhig's case makes it all the way, will depend on what the Defendant files in response, and what the Master of the High Court, who acts as a gatekeeper for this type of case, decides in terms of whether the Claimant's and Defendant's pleadings have any merit.
Comments
We're still in the honeymoon phase. In a few years the team sheet is going to look like a Scrabble board after an earthquake and we'll be playing in a new stadium very near our London training ground. But I suppose we'll be in the Premier League and that will drown out any moaning.
I agree but not sure we will be in the Premier League by then but I can certainly envisage the new ground near the training ground and a very competitive Championship club.
Surely we will buy the Winkledome and ensure the county is truly ours...
Why would that be shameful? In order to buy low and sell at a profit later he'll have to sort out the financial mess they are in.
That in itself will be a major achievement and better than the alternative which is increasingly looking like Reading going bust.
I don't understand why people think anyone buying a football club should do it for love and charity and not expect to make a profit further down the line.
As I said he did sell it to LM and for that I am very grateful.
Maybe ‘shameful’ is a bit strong but I am probably old school where owners used to be in love with their clubs and the fans had much more engagement.
Sorry, Ed_ and any others who thought I was vilifying Rob Couhig, that was never my intension. I was just trying to find out how long this latest situation was likely to take and if it would be months or years before this is concluded.
Maybe @bargepole could help us with understanding the possible/probable process and likely timescales?
The claim was filed in the Commercial Division of the High Court, and is a complex case expected to last 2 weeks or more of hearing time, with multiple witnesses, and both sides represented by KCs and junior counsel. Probably 000s of pages of evidence, witness statements, and legal submissions as well.
It is unlikely to come in front of a Judge before Dec 2025 / Jan 2026 at the earliest.
@bargepole though it's not written down...I bet you said 'Kerching!' in your head.
Any new ground won't be anywhere near the training ground, isn't there a rule now it has to be within a certain distance ? Sorry, I know I could Google it myself but about to go out... shouldn't even be on here really !!
We can take a pop at Rob C he is an easy target and has a hint of the snake oil salesman about him. However, he and Pete did effectively save our skin and we had a good ride with them - just as long as one didn’t swallow all his shtick. For the record @Wendoverman the cheerleaders were not his idea or indeed to his taste, that was Mark Palmer who read the room wrong and was on the way out pretty quick thereafter.
As for our future, it really is beginning to feel like we could be the next Bournemouth (note to self: this could be the big time or it could be the same old shtick just with more noughts behind it!)
Thank you @bargepole 👍
It is being reported that both Knibbs and Wing are targets for Selles (Hull City), in the January window. Maybe Wingy will get his move up north and into the Championship?
It will be kerching for the lawyers involved. Both sides are likely to incur legal costs in six figures, and the normal procedure is that the losing party has to pay their own costs, plus the full legal costs of the successful party.
Given the sums involved, I wouldn't be surprised if whoever loses takes the case to the Court of Appeal, and even the Supreme Court beyond that. Trebles all round at one set of chambers.
@bargepole , what would be the resulting action/s if Dai refuses to pay up, should he lose the case?
Mrs Wing isn’t going to like Kingston on Hull (not exactly Kingston upon Thames). But Beverley is nice in a parochial East Riding kinda a way.
She dealt with Middlesborough, so can probably deal with Hull if the money's right!
Apologies for barging in, but that would be contempt of court for starters and assets that are in the UK jurisdiction are liable to be seized. Bargepole will of course be able to give a more exact and more detailed view.
@theRoyalBiscuit the vilification comment wasn't aimed in the slightest at you, more at the elements of the Reading fan base who were so vocal and so vile towards him and his family. Other Reading fans of a more temperate disposition are of course available, for what that may be worth.
The named Defendant in this case is not Dai Yongge, it is Renhe Sports Management Co Ltd., whose registered address is the Select Car Leasing Stadium.
So if they lose, the Court can order seizure of their assets.
Financial accounts make very interesting reading. Negative Net Worth £155M at 30 June 2022. Loss £21M. If they lose the case they cannot pay without further cash injections from the owner.
Thanks.
The Stadium is registered as a Community Asset. also if rumours are true, is security on a loan from a Chinese Bank. How would this affect the resolution, if both the stadium and Bearwood are owned by Renhe Sports management? Not sure if they are, with all the devious ways Dai has worked his dealings with RFC.
I got married in Beverley as my in-laws were up there. I believe it can get a bit feisty when the squaddies are beered up.
it is unlikely that Couhig’s case will make it to court. He is trying to create an obstacle to any future sale of Reading FC that any future buyer would insist the seller gets rid of by settling the case before the sale transaction can complete. It’s the same process as he used with Derby.
Civil matters cannot be appealed to the Court of Appeal or Supreme Court by the losing party without the Court’s permission which will be given only if the losing party can demonstrate a failure of legal process or serious legal error not simply because he doesn’t like the verdict. That outcome feels very unlikely.
with respect to @bargepole , he is not a lawyer involved in large complicated legal claims. His expertise is sorting out parking tickets…..
World class use of "with respect" there
With respect to @DevC , private parking tickets only make up about 10% of my caseload these days. For example, I have two cases coming up in January, one involving business rates, and the other about leasehold service charges, both involving thousands of £££.
It is correct that appeals to a higher court require the losing party to seek permission to appeal, citing an error in law by the original Judge, or a finding of fact that was not reasonable on the evidence provided. I was involved in the ParkingEye v Beavis case, which went all the way to the Supreme Court in 2015.
Whether or not Couhig's case makes it all the way, will depend on what the Defendant files in response, and what the Master of the High Court, who acts as a gatekeeper for this type of case, decides in terms of whether the Claimant's and Defendant's pleadings have any merit.
1-0 to bargie!
🤺