MARK WARBURTON hopes lessons are learned from the new Betfred Cup format to enable Scotland’s top teams to reap the rewards of the revamped competition.

Rangers rounded off their Group F schedule against Stranraer on Monday night as they followed up wins over Motherwell, Annan and East Stirlingshire with a comfortable 3-0 Ibrox triumph.

Warburton was critical of the new format for the League Cup before a ball was kicked this summer but has seen his side ease into the last 16.

Now he is keen to see the Hampden hierarchy take a close look at how the competition is run to ensure clubs benefit in the future.

Warburton said: “I understand the changes but you’ve got to learn from your mistakes.

“I don’t mean that in an arrogant way. For a pre-season programme you’d like to think you start lower and build up to a tempo where you get the toughest test before the league programme starts.

“Can we get that right? People say to me it’s not about the big clubs, it’s about the small clubs and it’s a case of yes and no.

“We all want Scottish football to prosper and the big clubs to thrive. You want them to get into European football and for money to come in.

“But to have that generated you need to help the big clubs as well.

“It can’t just be this generic approach to football. Could we have played Motherwell in the fourth game?

“Could we have played four games in 12 or 13 days? We probably could have done.

“If that happens then it becomes a far more suitable programme where it builds up.

“I hope there will be discussions as they only way we’ll learn is from learning from our mistakes, that’s the only way to move forward.

“To have Motherwell as our first game, and I’m sure they’ll say it wasn’t right for them either.

“I hope I’m not the only one saying that, I’m sure Mark McGhee would be saying he’s liked to have played Rangers as their first game.

“That would suit everyone but we should learn, it’s a new format, there are new ideas.”