Scottish football finally appears to have grown a back bone.

For years we have suffered at the hands of those filthy rich clubs in England, swimming in television money as the plot what next multi-million pound player from the Stoke City bench they are going to throw enough money at that would feed a small nation for a month.

While those in the Barclays Premier League and the English Championship feast at this self-serving banquet – which I suppose would make it a buffet? – us north of Gretna services have to make do with the crumbs on the table. And we should be grateful for it.

Only at the start of the season Dundee flogged their best two players in Greg Stewart and Kane Hemmings for far less than what they would have received if they played in the English lower leagues.

Our top division may not be what it once was and looked down upon by those south of the border that sneer at their poor relations up here. Still, it doesn’t stop their clubs regularly coming in to poach our best players.

Well, not anymore it seems.

Already this season clubs in the Scottish Premiership have shown their mettle and stood firm. In the summer Motherwell refused to buckle after several derisory offers from Oxford for Marvin Johnson before eventually bartering them up. Hibs also knocked back £1.5m from Peterborough to buy Jason Cummings.

This window, both Celtic and Aberdeen have stood firm while English suitors begin to circle.

The Dons have already knocked back a £500,000 bid from Cardiff for winger Jonny Hayes, a player in his prime. Meanwhile, Celtic, their Dubai cousins this week, have reiterated their determination not to be push overs.

The message? If you want Moussa Dembele, be prepared to wait, and be prepared to spend big.

A figure of £20million has been put forward as the amount West Ham were considering spending on the 20-year-old Frenchman, but this isn’t even close to making Celtic flinch when it comes to their star man.

Already with 19 goals across domestic football and in the Champions League, the Parkhead club know his value is only going in one direction between now and the summer – up, up, up.

Celtic are approaching this with their business head firmly screwed on. For a club already comfortable with Champions League cash in the bank, they can afford to be bullish in the face of English interest. Dembele also still has three-and-a-half years on his current deal.

He is a player who is enjoying his football in Scotland has shown no desire to jump ship. Celtic hold all the cards here.

They have the benefit of having played a few aces in the past, too. With their last three exports to the Premier League in Fraser Forster, Victor Wanyama and Virgil van Dijk, they have brought in £35m. All from Southampton.

The fact one is now an established England squad member, the other is already at Spurs and the latter is tipped to go for £60m as Chelsea sniff about, shows big clubs Celtic’s players can be trusted at the top level.

Brendan Rodgers spoke earlier this week from the team hotel in Dubai about how clubs in England are buying the player, not the league. He also acknowledged the mind set of chairmen that there are bargains to be had in Scotland.

However, the stance of several of our clubs may just hint that the times are a changin’.

Yes, Celtic have no financial pressure to sell. The same can’t be said for some of the clubs mentioned above. Particularly Motherwell, who now operate a fan ownership model.

But it’s about time that football boards the length of the country said enough is enough. Maybe then our English counterparts may start valuing our product that bit more, and begin to take Scottish football seriously again.

That time may well have arrived.