Scottish League Cup format to change, does anyone care?

Scottish football will next season launch a revamped League Cup with a group stage and bonus-point system.

The group stage will involve all 38 teams not involved in European competition, plus the winners of the Highland League and Lowland League.

There will be eight groups of five teams playing each other once in a round-robin format, to take place across five July dates (16, 20, 23, 27 and 30) and will use the traditional three points for a win and one point for a draw model.

However, in what the SPFL believes will be a first in world football, all drawn matches will go straight to a penalty shoot-out, with the winner awarded a bonus point.

Eight group winners and the four best runners-up progress to the second round, when they are joined by the four clubs competing in Europe, and revert to a traditional knockout format.

Editor’s Note: So Scottish Football have thought of a new gimmick to revamp their version of League Cup – Penalty Shoot Outs and Bonus Points.

Will it make any massive changes I doubt it, yes there may be a bit more early season Football but with clubs like Celtic and Aberdeen and possibly Rangers should they win the Scottish Cup not joining until the 2nd Round how much extra revenue is this likely to bring in.

It’s not even the first competition to go to Penalties after a draw as the J-League had this in its first few years and didn’t adopt the 3-1-0 points format until 2003

With it being in the Summer months then this gimmick may be more of a spectacle in it’s first few games but I’m sure the novelty will wear off, will fans get behind this or will they think it’s another hair brained scheme by Neil Doncaster

I suppose there has to be some credit for the SPFL for trying something different but in a league format that already sees clubs play each other 4 times do they really need all these potential additional meetings as well.

Does this also mean the first step to permanent Football, I guess that all depends on whether this tournament format is a success. The proof will be in the pudding late next Summer.