Robinson not a fan but can League Cup groups help build momentum?

Stephen Robinson expressed his frustration about the format of the Premier Sports Cup after guiding Aberdeen to their second win out of two in Group A.

Robinson, who won the competition as St Mirren manager last season, feels the first-round group stage of the League Cup comes too early in the season.

The Dons beat Queen's Park 2-1 at Pittodrie on Saturday, having opened with a 2-0 win at Brora Rangers on Tuesday.

"I don't like the format of the competition. The competitive games come really, really early," Robinson told BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound.

"It's three weeks just into pre-season where you're playing competitive games and we have to win. You have to win as an Aberdeen manager or a Premiership manager.

"We use it for what it is, we get our fitness, we get things we're keeping trying and we know there's lots of things to be better at.

"It's very difficult because there's that many new signings. Everyone's still getting to know each other. There's different levels of fitness within the squad. Ultimately, it's a pre-season game that you need to win, simply you have to win."

The group format for the first round of the competition was introduced in 2016, with 40 clubs in eight groups. Scottish clubs playing in Europe do not enter the tournament until the knockout stage from round two.

Aberdeen travel to take on Queen of the South in Dumfries in their next fixture on Tuesday (19:45 BST) then finish at home to Kelty Hearts on Saturday.

"We have a hard game Tuesday night, another long travel," Robinson said.

"You come to Aberdeen to win things. Cup competitions are your best chance to do that normally.

"I've had good success in the tournament, I know what it means to win it but you still have to give people good game time, you still have to try things."

Callum Davidson won the League Cup as St Johnstone manager in 2021.

And he believes the example of St Mirren this term shows the benefit of the format.

Craig McLeish's Buddies, like Aberdeen, are on two wins out of two, having scored eight goals without reply.

"This is when this competition can be good for you. If you start like that and then gain the confidence and obviously his ideas, what he's trying to do, the players obviously then buy into it," Davidson told Sunday's Sportsound.

"[Stephen Robinson], he knows he needs to start well. If he starts well, obviously especially with a club like Aberdeen, it builds momentum. It makes his season easier.

"But he's finding it difficult because he's had to bring a lot of new players into the club.

"This tournament's quite difficult to get going. It's good for competitive games but it's really difficult. Sometimes you see a few upsets. It's quite intense right at the start for everybody."

Aberdeen and St Mirren's Premiership rivals Dundee United and Falkirk both endured surprise midweek defeats by lower league opposition, while Kilmarnock were held to a draw by second-tier Raith Rovers in their first game, winning the resulting penalty shootout for a bonus point.

And former Dundee United midfielder Scott Allan said: "For the Premiership managers, if they don't get the results or they only scrape by 1-0, there's already questions being asked and they haven't really got to work yet."