ROVERS legend Colin Hendry believes Celtic fans owe Graeme Souness a huge debt of gratitude for transforming their club into the force it is today as the Blackburn boss prepares to step into a cauldron of hate at Parkhead tonight.

Souness, the former Rangers chief, might be the man the green and white half of Glasgow love to hate following his spell in the hot-seat at Ibrox.

But, as they prepare to give him a hostile reception on his return to the city following an 11-year absence, Hendry insists there's also a grudging respect towards Souness among supporters of Rovers' UEFA Cup opponents because of the way he revolutionised Scottish football at the end of the 1980s.

"Graeme was the man responsible for dragging Scottish football out of the doldrums all those years ago," said Hendry, as he looked ahead to tonight's 'Battle of Britain'.

"When he first took over at Rangers, he inherited a club down on its luck but he got them back on an even keel again and that had a knock-on effect for the rest of the league.

"Suddenly, everyone realised they had to raise their own games in a bid to keep up and, although it took a while, that did raise standards, which in turn helped to put Scottish football back on the map.

"So I'm sure there's some Celtic fans in a quiet corner somewhere who probably have a grudging respect for what Graeme did because if he hadn't done that, they wouldn't be the club they are now.

"But don't expect to see any of them voicing that tonight.

"As far as they are concerned, this tie is Graeme Souness versus Celtic and they'll be desperate to get one over him simply because of his Rangers connections."

It's a testimony to the way Scottish football has evolved since the Souness revolution that people are suddenly talking about the possibility of inviting the Glasgow giants to join the English Premier League.

Years ago, such talk would have been unheard of but the influx of foreign talent into the Scottish game, a trend which was started by Souness at Rangers, has done much to improve standards.

However, one factor which remains constant north of the border, despite all the changes, is the fierce rivalry which still exists between Celtic and Rangers, even if there is an absence of Scotsmen as principle characters.

Hendry experienced the intensity of that first hand after making the move from Ewood to Ibrox and he firmly believes tonight's tie will whip up a similar storm.

"Three weeks ago, Rangers and Celtic played each other in a game which was screened live by the BBC and I think that opened a lot of people's eyes to what it's all about," said Hendry, who won the Scottish title with Rangers in 1999.

"The game itself was a typically passionate affair and you also got a sense of the atmosphere, too.

"That's exactly what it will be like tonight and some of the Blackburn lads won't know what's hit them. Many of the players will experience something they have never experienced before.

"Maybe the likes of Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole might have played up there in friendlies before now but this will be something else again.

"So everyone is buzzing about it. It's a massive game for Scotland, and this will give everyone a little insight into just how well Celtic are doing because it's a chance for them to measure themselves against a team in the top half of the English Premier League."

On paper, at least, both sides would appear to be evenly matched, so who does Hendry think will have the edge over the two legs?

"It's a tough one to call. I don't think it will be won or lost tonight unless something untimely happens," added the former Scotland skipper.

"There's no specific rivalry between the two clubs themselves, it's more the rivalry between England and Scotland which has captured everyone's imagination.

"But if you look at the Celtic team, there's not actually that many Scots in it apart from the likes of Paul Lambert and Jackie McNamara.

"The rest are mainly foreigners like Henrik Larsson so I don't how much the England-Scotland thing will actually mean to the players themselves.

"Celtic are clearly a good side but Blackburn have got a fairly enterprising team of their own which is packed with plenty of good individual talent.

"David Thompson, for instance, has done brilliantly to force his way into the England team so quickly.

"When I was at Coventry, I didn't expect him to stay in the First Division for long and so it proved.

"But he's just one of a group of exciting players which also includes the likes of Damien Duff, David Dunn and Matt Jansen so it's all set up to be a fascinating contest."