BARRY HEARN has urged Scottish football to use the return of the Old Firm fixture as the foundations upon which to build for a brighter future and not to become reliant on Rangers and Celtic to promote our game.

The Glasgow giants will meet for the first time this season at Parkhead on Saturday as Brendan Rodgers’ side look to move four points clear of their title rivals at the top of the table. After two cup meetings that whetted the appetite, there are now four derby fixtures on the menu once again after Rangers returned to the Premiership this season.

Sports promotion guru Hearn labelled Scottish football ‘undersold’ and ‘self-pitying’ when he spoke at the SFA Convention two years ago as he landed a series of blows on those in the corridors of power at Hampden. The SPFL have since agreed sponsorship deals for all four leagues and two cup competitions, while the return of Rangers and the arrival of several big names have raised the profile of our game.

“There are two ways of looking at it,” Hearn told Herald Sport. “The first is that it is fantastic news for Scottish football that Rangers are there and the Old Firm derby is back. That is a massive game.

“The only sad part, for me, is that you have to be so careful about those matches dwarfing everyone else so that they feel they are not part of the same group because of the supporter base. You mustn’t take your eye off the ball, if you like, of the overall job that has got to be done with Scottish football.

“In a utopian world, Dunfermline, Aberdeen, whoever, are all as big as Rangers and Celtic. That is not going to happen but it shouldn’t stop you trying to make it happen.

“It is great news for Scottish football and it will improve various sponsorship and TV deals because of the certainty of those games happening, and that is obviously a shot in the arm for Scottish football. But it mustn’t be an excuse and you forget about the bigger picture, which is the promotion of football in Scotland.”

The return of the Old Firm fixture has seen interest in Scottish football increase once again this term and the fixture will attract a worldwide television audience on Saturday. It will compete for airtime with the Manchester derby but the action on and off the park is sure to make headlines on the front and back pages.

It is a major selling point for the SPFL, but Matchroom Sports chief Hearn insists it shouldn’t be the only fixture that our clubs and the league look to make money from.

“The average sports fan is quite selective in terms of getting his backside off a seat and going to watch,” he said. “The danger of those high profile matches – and Celtic and Rangers are right up there – is that you develop a sort of feeling of ‘hmm, this one is not so big’. When you watch a match, it could be the best game in the world, but if you see empty seats your perception is that it is not a big game.

“That is the danger if they watch Rangers against Celtic and then the next week watch Falkirk. In their mind, they have devalued the brand of football whilst appreciating the superstar quality of Celtic and Rangers. It is a big plus but it is a short term plus. In the past, Scottish football has been too reliant on the fact that you have got the Old Firm derby. It has given people an excuse to take their eye off the ball.”

All eyes will be firmly fixed on Parkhead on Saturday when Rangers and Celtic meet once again but both clubs have taken glances further afield in recent years.

In an exclusive interview with Herald Sport on Wednesday, SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster opened the door to discussions about Rangers and Celtic potentially quitting our game and joining the English league system. It is a debate that has often been heard, but Hearn, a former chairman of Leyton Orient, insists any proposal will never get off the ground.

“The attractiveness to Rangers and Celtic of that conversation is all about the amount of money in the game down south,” he said. “The chances of it ever happening are virtually zero. They have two hopes, and Bob Hope just left town. It is not going to happen. That again is another one of those following a financial dream rather than a reality of where you are.

“There is no doubt that European football is getting stronger, the Champions League is getting more and more money and Rangers and Celtic will get their chance on that stage. Football in many ways is a very unfair sport because it is governed by money. Are Celtic and Rangers capable of having a run in the Champions League? One hopes so, but it is going to be tough because they don’t have the budget.

“I am afraid, in football, money speaks volumes, which is why the dreamers will chase the idea of ‘one day’. I find it, distasteful is too strong a word, but disappointing.

“I think the home talent and reputation is so much more important in terms of inspiring people to follow the game and take up the game. If you are in a money mill, you will get good players if you pay a huge salary but the game has lost its soul.”