A player in the Scottish Premiership moving to the lower leagues in England for more money.

Not really a strange or unusual occurrence, is it? It is something that has happened for decades. But for some, the latest flit from Scotland to England signalled a new low for Scottish football and specifically, the oracle on all things Scottish football: Jim White.

The bold Jim probably still thinks Brian ‘why are you so good’ Laudrup is still playing for Rangers. That would probably sum up the extent of his knowledge north of the border.

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I am, of course, referring to Adam Rooney moving from Aberdeen to National League outfit Salford City, who currently operate in the fifth tier of English football.

But Salford City, incidentally, just happen to be owned by Peter Lim, who in 2016 was quoted on Forbes’ ‘Rich List’ as being worth a net £2.4 billion. So the club isn’t short of a bob of two. And that’s not even taking into account the other 50% of the club divided up between the Neville brothers, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Ryan Giggs. I wouldn’t think they are going to run out of money any time soon.

Let’s get one thing straight right away; this was a brilliant deal for both Aberdeen and Rooney. Aberdeen get a fee and a hefty wage off the books of a player who may have given fantastic service to the club over the years but wasn’t going to be a regular starter next season, just as he wasn’t the previous season.

Derek McInnes can use this fee, plus Rooney’s salary, to strengthen other areas of his team. And for 30-year-old Rooney, it’s a no brainer to sign a 3 year deal worth a reputed to be between £4000 and £5000 a week. It was double his previous wage and he only had a year left on his current contract. For someone of Rooney’s age and level, three year deals are like hen’s teeth so I am not surprised he has headed south. It’s a great deal for him and his young family and I wish him all the best as will all of the Dons fans.

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I have said it many times that football is such a short career and you have to make as much money as you possibly can to safeguard your future. I would never blame a player for going to a lower level or a lesser league for more money. Yes, some would call it a lack of ambition but unless you are operating at the very highest level and are set up for life then you need to go where the money is - just like Rooney has done. And even those at the top level earning millions can be lured by the promise of more money.

Oscar at Chelsea is a fine example. At 25 years old and a regular for his club and country, the Brazilian was in the prime of his career. Yet he choose to go the backwaters of Chinese football to more than treble his salary. It was seen as a dreadful career move and, as it turned out, it was. Of course he was going to a league far inferior to the English Premiership but again, you cannot blame him for securing his and his family’s future financially.

Funnily enough, I didn’t hear the aforementioned Jim White saying at the time of Oscar’s move that it was a new blow for English football when the likes of the Brazilian, or former Southampton striker Graziano Pelle, left the Premiership for China for one simple reason: cash. Strange that.

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The money in the game in England throughout the top five divisions will always trump most of our clubs here. It’s just a fact of life and no amount of moaning about it will change it. It must be highly irritating for guys like Stephen Robinson at Motherwell to lose out on players to clubs in lower leagues but for as long as I can remember, that’s been the case. When I was at Hibs, who are a big club in Scotland, I moved to Boston United in League Two on loan. Despite having crowds of around 3000, they could pay players more than clubs like Hibs and Hearts. It was mind blowing.

They couldn’t sustain that and ultimately went bust but that’s what our top clubs, outwith the big two in Glasgow, are up against. Mansfield Town, in League Two, just signed a player and are paying him £200k a year. That sums the situation up.

We don’t need guys like Jim White taking an uneducated pop at our game because whatever level you are, at money talks. Even the fabled English Premiership is not immune to losing players to bigger contracts. Our game is on the up in Scotland. We need to continue to talk it up. And a player heading to England for more money isn’t going to change that.