COLIN Hendry has cut the giants of the Premiership down to size.

Experience tells him he will have his work cut out coping with some of the most expensive, most talented footballers in the world over the next nine months, but his assessment of that glittering array of adversaries is as blunt as one of his bone-crunching challenges. "They're only human!" Big Col says, dismissively.

The veteran Scot means no disrespect to the likes of Michael Owen, Andy Cole, Thierry Henry or Harry Kewell, but he is determined to keep a sense of proportion.

In typically straight-talking fashion he insists: "They might be more gifted as players but, whoever you are playing against, they are just as human as you are.

"I've played against them all - including Ruud van Nistelrooy in a friendly - and I know it's going to be difficult, just as it's always difficult for any club going into a higher division - it'll be difficult for Fulham and for Blackburn. It's up to us to deal with that.

"But what I do know is that the effort, the level of application and the professionalism will be just as great here as at any other club.

"We are being talked of as relegation 'certainties'. Okay, we have to expect that but we don't have to accept it."

Far from being a daunting prospect, Hendry sees the Premiership as a golden opportunity to pit his wits against the best in the business and for the bright young stars of the Wanderers' squad to hit the heights themselves..

"It's a chance for players like Kevin Nolan, Michael Ricketts and Ricardo Gardner to prove exactly how good they can be," he explains.

"In fact all the boys here are going to have a chance to prove their ability.

"They shouldn't be overawed or daunted - it's 11 against 11 when all's said and done. Some of the players here could turn out to be world class themselves. We don't know until we see what they can do.

"As a team, we have got to take heart from what Ipswich and Charlton achieved last season.

"Of the three teams that went up the previous year, Manchester City was the one club you'd have expected to stay up, after signing Paulo Wanchope, George Weah and Steve Howey.

"I was sad they didn't because I have a great affection for my old club. But the two who stayed up proved everybody wrong - and probably even surprised themselves.

"I don't suppose anybody down at Ipswich thought for one minute they would have had such a fantastic season. But they produced something special.

"We have something special here in the shape of our team performances.

"There wasn't any one player we could point to as having been a major force last season - it was very much a team thing and we'll be looking for that again."

From a personal point of view the challenge for 35-year-old Hendry will be whether he can make the most of the Indian summer of his career and continue to perform at the highest level.

Having been effectively frozen out by Gordon Strachan at Coventry, the Scotish international -- a Premiership winner with Blackburn Rovers -- was given a new lease of life when Sam Allardyce persuaded him, at the second attempt, to lend his experience to Wanderers' promotion push last December.

In truth, he didn't expect another crack at the big time.

"When I joined Rangers, I signed a four year deal and this would have been the start of my fourth year," he explains.

"Three years down the line, I've just been involved in a very exciting climax to a season and I'm back in the Premiership.

"Excited? Absolutely! I'm thoroughly looking forward to it.

"And so should everyone else."