THERE is an auld Scottish saying, normally spoken in tones of regret.

"You get what you pay for" is oft times more a lament than a positive affirmation in senior football. The tables opposite show that there is a direct correlation between expenditure and success. It is surely no surprise to see that big spending pays a dividend in terms of league position.

However, there is still room for Moneyball in football. The term was coined to describe the methods used by Billy Beane, general manager of Oakland Athletics, to build a more successful baseball team. Beane exploited neglected statistics to give more value for money.

The problem for football managers in Scotland is that money is scarce and statistics in football cannot give a definitive portrait of a player. There has been an increase in the measurement of footballers: metres run, touches applied, passes given with success rate. However, these can be woefully misleading. For example, Per Mertesacker's successfully completed pass percentage is, at more than 91%, just behind that of Xavi and ahead of such as Bastian Schweinsteiger. But the Arsenal defender is no master of the art of splitting defences, he merely passes the ball back to goalkeeper or on to a holding midfielder. There is a generous margin for error in both instances and a low degree of difficulty.

The modern manager has to have an "eye" for a player and a focus on value, particularly in Scotland where budgets are restricted. "All coaches are taught the basics before they achieve their licences," said Alex Smith, chairman of the League Managers' Association and the guiding light behind the set-up at Falkirk, whereby a productive youth academy system is bolstered by clever acquisitions. "The technical and tactical aspects of the job are learned but the coaches are also told how to scout and how to value players."

Smith learned this on the job. "It was once basically an art of adding a zero," he said with customary modesty. "When I was at Stenhousemuir we were buying from junior clubs and it was 200 and 300 quid and the idea was to pay promptly and slightly over the odds so we could go back to them and pick up players. It worked because we would always be alerted to potential signings. When I was at St Mirren we added another nought. We were spending anything from £10,000 to £50,000. And at Aberdeen we added another nought buying for, say, £100,000 but selling at £1m."

He pauses when asked to rate his best buy, pound-for-pound. It is an extensive list to scrutinise. Smith began as a manager in 1969 with Stenhousemuir and progressed through Stirling Albion, St Mirren, Aberdeen, Clyde, Dundee United, Ross County and now on to Falkirk, where he is technical director.

"I think that using the Dutch connection when at Aberdeen was probably a good example of showing value for money," he said. "My plan roughly was to have a budget of £270,000 for the player and £30,000 for the signing-on fee. We could then sell those players on a substantial profit. Most will remember Hans Gillhaus, a really good player. But Paul Mason stands out as an excellent signing."

The outstanding Gillhaus was recruited from PSV Eindhoven for £650,000 but Mason was bought from Groningen for £300,000 in 1988 and sold on a profit to Ipswich Town. "He was an excellent player, comfortable and tidy on the ball and his versatility allowed us to play different systems," said Smith.

He concedes that the game has changed but the business of identifying and acquiring players has the same basic tenets. "You must be able to identify a market, assess a player, then look at what you can get with what you can afford to pay. It may seem simple but there are difficulties at every stage."

It is also necessary to have that "eye" for a player. Smith's record shows he has it but the evidence of the season suggests others have, too. Falkirk have forged a successful path of late but the two top-flight clubs that stand ahead of the rest, for differing reasons, are Celtic and Ross County. Both have punched well above their financial weight.

Celtic won the domestic double but their financial power gave them an impetus that stretched them ahead of competing clubs. However, Neil Lennon deserves a Moneyball title for his side's efforts in Europe. To qualify from a group where his budget was dwarfed by Barcelona, Spartak Moscow and Benfica was an extraordinary achievement.

The Clydesdale Bank Premier League Moneyball manager must be Derek Adams of Ross County. Smith points out that Roy McGregor, the Ross County chairman, is "an excellent man with figures" and the businessman must be delighted at the bottom line of his club's season. The accompanying panels do not state the budget for player salaries at County but they are believed to be the 13th highest in Scotland, behind all the other top-flight clubs and Rangers. Indeed, County are thought to operate on a player budget of £1m.

This means that Adams has performed well above the expectations of his budget. His task, and that of his colleagues, is simply to do so again next season. The demands of Moneyball never stop rolling on for the manager.