Radical Revamp For Scottish League Cup Means Summer Football

[TheDarkBlues]

Summer football is on its way to Scotland thanks to a major revamp of the Scottish League Cup.

Starting next July, there will be eight groups of five teams playing each other once each in a round-robin format.

The group matches will be contained within one month, with fixtures on July 16, 20, 23, 27 and 30.

Taking part will be the 38 SPFL sides not involved in Champions League or Europa League qualifiers plus the winners of this season’s Highland and Lowland Leagues.

Six of the group matches will be broadcast live on BT Sport, to be followed by another seven spread over subsequent stages of the cup.

It will be three points for a win and one for a draw but as part of the new look all matches that finish level will go straight to a penalty shoot-out, with the “winner” awarded a bonus point.

This is believed to be a first in world football.

The eight group winners and four best runners-up progress to the second round, where they will be joined by Scotland’s four European representatives.

The competition will then revert to a traditional knockout format.

Prize money will go up and the new format will be also allow the re-introduction of a two-weekend winter break for Premiership clubs during January 2017.

SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster said: “The new format of the Scottish League Cup marks an exciting new chapter for the competition and sees Scottish football leading the way with a number of innovations.

“Fans, the media and clubs alike have expressed a desire for competitive summer football which will be delivered from next July while the ground-breaking bonus point system should add incentive to teams and excitement for supporters.”

Source: The Courier

[TheDarkBlues]

Ok wtf?

Neil Doncaster fucking Scottish football one day at a time.

[chomp my root]

Ok wtf?

Neil Doncaster fucking Scottish football one day at a time.

Not sure I agree, I'm willing to give it a shot. I think we have to be open to stuff, its not how I would have done it but hey, good to see them trying something different.

[Boba Fett]

Glad to see some thinking outside of the box tbh.. Whether it works remains to be seen I suppose.

3 points for a win over 90 mins. 1 for a draw after 90 minutes (but it can't end in a draw) and 2 for winning a drawn match over 90 minutes on a penalty shoot out?

Wonder what your average pro footballer in Scotland makes of this with competitive games in July for everyone. Surely a good thing having a fortnights break in the depths of winter though..

[chomp my root]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/35031970

2 week winter break in Jan too. Whatever they do they'll not please everyone but at least they're trying.

[markthedee]

Ok wtf?

Neil Doncaster fucking Scottish football one day at a time.

Some people will never be happy until we've got full Summer football, a 20-team league and a TV deal to rival England.

There's no harm in innovating to try and improve the game. We can't possibly compete with what happens down south so something new is needed.

[sneddee]

i think this is a great idea! summer football. and a bit of excitement pen shoot outs , extra polnts etc.

[Edin_Dee]

Good idea on the face of it but I'd worried that teams just use these games in place of pre-season friendlies and therefore loses part of its competitive edge.

[Gedee]

There are times when things start tae look & feel ..... Auld, tired, wearied and frayed 'roond the edges !!

(Weel that's a meh problems soarted oot) ... But eh blame that on supporting the Dark Blues too lang !!

But back to topic. Any effort at all to attempt to make our Scottish game more exciting is alright by me.

It seems to me there is a general malaise in the game today. Or as reflected above, it's maybe jist me.

Scottish Fitba in general interests me. But meh focus is DFC. Sat DFC were sh*t !!  Let's sort oot 'well.

[Pablothedee]

I'm quite happy with the new format. I take it we'd be seeded and in a section with sides from Tayside, Fife and central Scotland.

Barring the odd glamour friendly I'd imagine these games would replace friendlies against the Brechin's and Forfar's of this world.

Edited 8 December 2015 by Pablothedee