1. ANDY ROBERTSON AND KIERAN TIERNEY PARTNERSHIP STARTING TO CLICK

The 3-5-2 formation adopted by Alex McLeish arguably doesn’t allow either of his star men to play to their full strengths, but he may have found the next best option.

Robertson was able to play on the front foot for the majority of the evening against the Albanians, and even though Tierney was deployed on the left of the back three, he even got ahead of his captain at times to great effect.

It might not be the perfect way to utilise either player, but there were signs here that at least this formation might get a lot of good out of them both.

2. STUART ARMSTRONG SHOULD BE IN THE TEAM

No harm to Kevin McDonald, but the Fulham man’s inclusion in place of Armstrong robbed Scotland of one of their main outlets of nous and creativity in the first half. It was no surprise that when Armstrong replaced McDonald at half-time that his first contribution was to play a major part in the opening goal, showing a composure in the final third that is not the strong suit of the man he replaced.

McDonald may well have a Scotland future playing in the deep-lying midfield role, but his inclusion shouldn’t come at the expense of Armstrong.

3. ALEX MCLEISH MAY PROVE THE DOUBTERS WRONG

For all that there were questions to be asked of the starting line-up, it cannot be denied that Scotland were the dominant team throughout the match, and the tactical tweaks that the manager made were also spot on throughout the game.

The inclusion of Stephen O’Donnell was vindicated, and the eyebrow-raising selection of Stevie Naismith ahead of Leigh Griffiths was eventually justified by the Hearts forward’s two goals. Although Big Eck must have feared the worst on that score when Naismith missed from a yard out in the first half.

He will hope that this victory can kick-start the national side.

4. THERE IS APATHY AROUND SCOTLAND, BUT IT CAN BE OVERCOME

The empty seats around the national stadium prior to kick-off with the rain pelting down and the half-hearted rendition of Flower of Scotland made for a pretty grim build-up to what was a competitive fixture.

The attendance was hardly surprising given the recent fortunes of the side, the pricing and the scheduling of the fixture, but the core explanation among that lot must surely be the fact that failure has become so indelibly linked with the national side.

If McLeish can follow up this victory and gain some momentum, then the crowds will come back though.

5. JOHN MCGINN CAN BE THE NEW LEADER OF THE MIDFIELD, BUT IS A WORK IN PROGRESS

The Aston Villa man had a mixed night, starting in imperious form and dominating the middle of the park before a stray ball that almost gifted the visitors the lead seemed to shake him.

Had another wobble after the break when a short backpass put McGregor in trouble, but for every one of those moments that could have proved costly, there were four or five great things that he did over the course of the evening.

His power and strength drove the team forward. His tenacity in the tackle saw Scotland win possession high up the park. Yes, there are kinks in his game, but once they are ironed out, the nation might just have a top operator on our hands.