THE new format being introduced for the League Cup next season is a gamble. We are playing guessing games over the longer-term benefits that may come from it, but it is, without doubt, a gamble worth taking.

There are definite downsides for coaches – such as the early start to the campaign which means there will be less time to work with the players before competitive action begins – but we have to do something to try to breathe new life into the game and I, for one, am up for trying pretty much anything.

For starters, the £8 million received from BT Sport over the course of the four-year deal had to be taken. There has to be acceptance of the importance of TV revenue in football and the need for a bit of come and go with the broadcasting companies involved.

Will the format work? I hope so. The whole idea of regionalisation does not greatly benefit my club, Ross County, because the chances are we will still find ourselves facing two-and-a-half hour trips to the likes of Angus.

Will it bring crowds back? I am not so sure, but we have to try something to rejuvenate the competition and I am saying that as the assistant manager of a club in this year’s semi-finals and looking forward to that immensely.

What we must be conscious of, though, is the need to pay close attention to the lessons there to be learned from this new format. We must then be prepared to take the successful elements further.

This will give us a little taste of summer football to test it out and see what supporters think. If it brings in bigger crowds, it can help shape a more informed discussion on the pros and cons of staging more matches at that time of the year.

The new League Cup will give us a chance to dip our toes in the water with certain ideas that have been bouncing around for a while. It needs to be part of a longer-term picture, though.

I do not believe football in Scotland is on its last legs, but we have to show signs of improvement. We have to get the game, as a whole, moving in a more positive direction.

If we are going to change it at the top, we have to be committed to changing it at the bottom as well. We need joined-up thinking.

Everything is connected in this difficult equation that we are all trying to figure out: how do we make the game healthier and more prosperous as a whole?

I have written about it in the recent past, but the need to get rid of the Pro-Youth system is so important. It stops boys playing football.

It stops them playing for their boys’ clubs and their schools. It has stopped them progressing and that is why we are getting fewer players through.

It is all part of the failure to get the product right. We need to find a way to get more kids playing as much football as possible and bringing more of them through. At the moment, we seem to be stopping them at source

People still want to come and watch football in Scotland. I am absolutely convinced of that. The public are a little disillusioned with the national sport at the moment, but there is, unquestionably, an appetite for football out there.

Look at some of the crowds we still get when teams are doing well.

Aberdeen have a strong away following. A Dundee derby can still attract a decent attendance.

Summer football would maybe bring back crowds because people like the idea of watching games in better weather, but you still need the football to be decent.

If they go along to games for four or five weeks and the quality on offer is substandard, it will not matter whether the sun is shining or it is blowing a gale. They simply will not go back. We need to make sure the standard of players is high for future years.

If you can get everything right, from your wage structure to your youth set-up, you can still hit the jackpot. Look at Dundee United.

Yes, they are bottom of the league at the moment, but they raised a number of players such as Andy Robertson, Ryan Gauld, Stuart Armstrong and Gary Mackay-Steven, who were all sold on for a decent amount. It can be done. Things just need to be structured properly.

One thing that did disappoint me, though, was the fact that all manner of rows and disputes broke out the day after the new format was announced.

There are so many big egos within Scottish football. We are not in a healthy position. The game isn't doing well, so the egos have to make way for a more cohesive organisation that is much more professional at delivering the message. In-house bickering really has to stop.

We must all work together to help Scottish football scratch its way back from where it is at the moment. Giving the new League Cup every chance to succeed can be a start.