Interviewed in the wake of his recent sacking by Ross County, Derek Adams asked a valid question related to the reason given for the club's decision to overhaul its management structure.

"What does it mean to go back to its roots and be a community club? I am not sure what that means," he observed.

What, indeed? 'Community club' is a cosy-sounding term but every sports club represents a community of a sorts, so some elaboration was needed. That was provided by Peter Swanson, the Highland club's director of communications.

He explained that Roy MacGregor, the chairman, had drawn inspiration from Arab-owned Manchester City, of all places, a club which is often seen by outsiders as a soulless money-driven venture.

Having spent a fair bit of time in Manchester in the last year, attending the World Squash Championships, the Rugby League World Cup final, an international water polo match, a Twenty20 cricket match and rugby league's wonderful Magic Weekend, I can see why MacGregor was inspired. The city has an amazing sporting buzz around it, initially stimulated by the 2002 Commonwealth Games, the centrepiece of which was the stadium which is now the Etihad.

In truth the venue itself lacks the warmth of Old Trafford and even the little Salford City Stadium, but it is part of a sports hub that offers a real focus for a city of Manchester's size.

Swanson acknowledged that County are "minuscule" compared with the English champions, but the basic principles are the same and are perhaps more likely to be visible in smaller geographical areas.

This is about addressing the insularity which afflicts Scottish football, namely the resistance of people within the game to divert attention and resources to anything they do not consider immediately beneficial to football in general, and their team in particular, as apparently characterised by Adams' objection to the provision of "face painting and bouncy castles" which he felt would take funding away from the club's first team.

In cash-strapped environments such frustration is understandable, but in what County are looking to do there lies a real opportunity for fresh thinking.

Their focus will continue to be on football, generating funds and community support to make the club as sustainable as possible. However, there is potential to look beyond football in a way that can only benefit it in the longer term.

Earlier this year I wrote about this in the context of Celtic and the opportunity represented by the club's position adjacent to the Emirates Arena and just along the road from the Tollcross pool. Place the Celtic branding on any sporting venture and it will be a magnet, but the same can be the case for smaller clubs in smaller towns. Football clubs which become sports clubs, helping direct those who have sporting talent but are not best equipped for the specific requirements of football, have the potential to be seen in a completely different light by communities.

I sincerely hope that is what Swanson was getting at when he rejected Adams' criticisms by saying: "We're looking way beyond that. We are looking at how football and how Ross County can support the community. We have a sign that says 'more than just a football club' and that's what we say we are." Such is the Scottish sporting culture that the vast majority of our youngsters with an interest in sport are aiming, in the first instance, at becoming footballers. It is also a sad truth that the vast majority of them will never be good enough; only a handful are ever going to earn a living from the game, let alone gain access to the millions available at the Manchester Cities of this world.

Economics have, of course, forced Scottish clubs to take on more and more and local talent. However, they are not helped by the sort of cultural issues which have been highlighted of late - not least the diet of Scottish footballers raised by Ronny Deila and what in many cases has been a deeply ignorant reaction from many within that community towards the Celtic manager's plans to improve the nutrition of his players.

This is difficult to address in the current environment, but introduce other sports under the umbrella of your club where the norm is to eat, drink and train properly and strides can be made in terms of persuading youngsters through peer pressure. Think, too, of how a football club followed by a golf, tennis, badminton or squash champion, who acknowledges that club's support as having been influential, might be seen by its wider community.

Meanwhile, I was at Rugby Park last Friday to watch the then SPFL Premiership leaders being beaten by Kilmarnock, who moved into the top three as a result. It is a lovely stadium but more than 14,000 seats were empty. It was a miserable night, so I'm not sure how big the queues would have been for bouncy castles or face painting but, as with the potential benefits of the Deila diet, so it is encouraging that some in Scottish football are looking for new food for thought.