IT will be evolution not revolution, more back to the drawing board for a think than back to square one to rip it all up and start again.

A change in the dugout will lead to changes on the park, but changing Scotland’s fortunes is far from an overnight job for Alex McLeish.

A friendly against Costa Rica at Hampden isn’t exactly the most glamorous start to life as national boss second time around but it is an important one for McLeish nonetheless.

Our visitors on Friday may be ranked 26th in the world – six places above Scotland, as it happens – but manager Oscar Ramirez could take his players for a walk down Sauchiehall Street without being swamped by autograph hunters or selfie takers.

Mind you, some of the Hampden crowd would struggle to pick out the likes of Barry Douglas, Scott McTominay and Oli McBurnie if they didn’t have their names on the back of their jerseys.

But that is why this friendly matters more than usual for McLeish and his players. As he looks to make a good first impression second time around, those he has selected must grab their chance to make a name for themselves.

The above mentioned trio make up six of the new faces in the group, with Jon McLaughlin, Scott McKenna and Dylan McGeouch also set to be involved for the first time.

Many of those that McLeish has picked have been talked about and touted for recognition for some time and now they must prove they have what it takes to consistently make the step up from domestic to international level and really assert themselves for Scotland.

There is still room for improvement and scope for a reshuffle in defence and, in time, the likes of Grant Hanley, Russell Martin and Charlie Mulgrew could find themselves phased out for the next generation of centre-backs as Jack Hendry, John Souttar, Ross McCrorie, David Bates and Liam Lindsay look to rise through the Dark Blue ranks.

But the squad that McLeish has chosen, and the sides that he will select against Costa Rica and then in Hungary next Monday, will offer him an insight into what he has to work with in the opening months of his reign.

The first two matches, and the controversial clashes with Peru and Mexico at the end of the campaign, give McLeish a chance to experiment with styles, shapes and personnel but the results will surely come into consideration as well.

The appointment of the 59-year-old wasn’t a universally popular one amongst the Tartan Army and the easiest way to get supporters onside is to win matches.

If McLeish does that and there are early signs of encouragement and progress, he will win over his doubters and momentum can start to be built ahead of the Nations League fixtures.

He has spoken about the importance of creating a winning mentality amongst his group, of changing the perception that Scotland won’t qualify after 20 years of hurt.

If McLeish can deliver, all roads will lead to Hampden at Euro 2020. Hopefully that journey can get off to a positive start in Mount Florida this week.

AND ANOTHER THING

The Scottish Cup defeat to Aberdeen in midweek ensured there won’t be any silverware going back to Rugby Park this season. There could well be two personal gongs, however, with both Steve Clarke and Kris Boyd surely in the running for their respective Manager and Player of the Year prizes.

Victory at Ibrox on Saturday was the latest in a string of remarkable results that Clarke has achieved since he replaced Lee McCulloch in the dugout and in many ways the form of Boyd encapsulates the superb turnaround job that he has done in Ayrshire.

Few would have believed Killie were capable of such a run and even less would have backed the 34-year-old to hit the 20 goal mark at this stage of the campaign.

Both will say it has been a team effort. While that ethos is behind their success, their individual endeavours should have them on the shortlists in the coming weeks.