Alex McLeish to be unveiled as new Scotland manager
Last updated 16th Feb 2018
Alex McLeish will this morning be unveiled as Scotland's new manager after agreeing to return to the Hampden hotseat, Press Association Sport understands.
The former national team boss is set to be presented to the media at 11.30am after agreeing a two-year deal to replace Gordon Strachan.
Hampden chiefs have spent the best part of four months searching a new boss but have now returned to the 59-year-old for a second stint in charge after failing to land their first choice Michael O'Neill.
McLeish - who had a successful 10-game stint in charge of the side back in 2007 - travelled to Glasgow on Wednesday to meet the SFA board and impressed them enough to get their unanimous backing.
Final details of his contract - which for now spans only the Scots' new Nations League campaign and the Euro 2020 qualifiers - were thrashed out on Thursday and McLeish will now set about preparing the squad for next month's friendly clashes with Costa Rica and Hungary.
The appointment of the former Hibernian, Rangers, Birmingham and Aston Villa boss concludes the drawn-out and heavily criticised hunt for Strachan's successor.
Northern Ireland boss O'Neill was quickly identified as the man the SFA wanted to guide Scotland towards Euro 2020 but they were forced back to the drawing board when he decided to stay put.
Walter Smith also emerged as a contender for the job in recent weeks but heaped fresh turmoil on Hampden bosses earlier this week as he withdrew from the race.
That opened the door for McLeish to make his return to management two years after leaving his last posting with Egyptian outfit Zamalek.
The former Aberdeen and Scotland defender was first appointed to the Scotland job back in January 2007.
After taking over from Smith midway through the Euro 2008 qualifiers, he presided over 10 games - seven of which he won, including a famous James McFadden-inspired victory over France in Paris - but was unable to steer his side to the finals in Austria and Switzerland and quit to take over at Birmingham just days after the qualifying draw for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
His return to the post will split opinion amongst the Tartan Army - not least because of his decision to walk away from the post just as his side looked on the verge of something special - but the SFA are now hoping he can rediscover his magic touch