By Clive Lindsay

Alex McLeish faces his first game in charge of Scotland

Alex McLeish never quite freed himself from the legacy of Walter Smith's part in securing nine titles in a row as assistant then manager with Rangers.

And, even after McLeish was officially appointed Scotland manager, Smith's ghost hung heavily over the former Aberdeen central defender.

Scotland last week moved to 16th in the world rankings, the result of a short but successful reign during which Smith dragged the side back to respectability from their lowly 88th place of two years ago.

Media conference: Scotland manager Alex McLeish

Smith had, by then, already quit the national job to return to Ibrox in January with Scotland riding high at the top of Euro 2008 qualifying Group B, albeit after a disappointing defeat away to Ukraine.

It leaves McLeish in a similar situation to when he inherited a Motherwell side that had beat the odds to qualify for Europe under Tommy McLean.

But at least he has a better chance of starting with a win than if the forthcoming double-header had been reversed.

Few will realistically expect much from Wednesday's trip to face world champions Italy.

But the Tartan Army could quickly begin to question his credentials as an international manager should they fail to dispose of Georgia.

Yet the fans should not underestimate Saturday's visitors to Hampden Park.

Georgia may have lost three of their first four group games, but those came against Italy, the team they defeated in the World Cup final, France, and Scotland's conquerors, Ukraine.

Shota Arveladze showed in helping AZ Alkmaar dispose of Newcastle United in the Uefa Cup - and in scoring four goals in three qualifiers for Georgia - that he is still a top-class striker.

And Zurab Khizanishvili has emerged from his nightmare with Rangers to become an English Premiership regular with Blackburn Rovers.

Both are well-known to McLeish during their respective spells at Ibrox.

Arveladze won seven trophies under McLeish, who brought Khizanishvili from Dundee before axing the defender 18 months later and sending him out on loan to Ewood Park.

Scotland were on a high after beating France at Hampden

And a number of their team-mates play top-class football around Europe.

No surprise then that McLeish says he would be "delirious" if his newly-inherited side could defeat the Georgians and follow that by avoiding defeat by Italy in Bari.

On this occasion at least, he will have been able to call on Smith's advice and has adopted a steady-as-she-goes policy in selecting his squad.

He even mirrored Smith's regime - of Ally McCoist and Tommy Burns - by retaining a Rangers-Celtic balance in trusty assistant Andy Watson and Roy Aitken.

And Aitken this week suggested that there would be little change in the high-tempo, pressurising style of play.

McLeish has even inherited Scotland's usual injury woes, with key players Darren Fletcher, James McFadden and Nigel Quashie missing out along with the suspended Steven Pressley.

Now he hopes that Smith has passed on the kind of luck that helped defeat France 1-0 at Hampden.

While some question McLeish's record in the transfer market with Motherwell, Hibernian and Rangers, he has gained a reputation for improving other people's teams.

And, while he will not go down in Ibrox folklore in the style of Smith and Graeme Souness, both have backed him to translate to the international stage the skill that won him seven trophies in four comparatively penny-pinching years.