WHEN Walter Smith was appointed head coach of Scotland in 2004, he inherited a squad of players from Berti Vogts with their confidence at a low ebb and the reputation of the national team at one of the lowest points in its long history.

He quickly set about restoring pride in the Scotland team in trademark fashion, making the side more professional, more organised and tougher to beat almost instantaneously.

Dragging the Scottish side up by the bootstraps to eventually achieve a historic rope-a-dope win against World Cup finalists France seemed like the summit of a journey that had started over 20 years before that unforgettable evening at Hampden.

Smith’s involvement in the national set-up went all the back to 1982, when as coach of the Under-18s alongside Andy Roxburgh, he helped lead the Scots to triumph at the 1982 UEFA European Under-18 Championship. It was here that he may have honed his gameplan for giving superior opposition a bloody nose.

"I sent Walter Smith to watch Holland in their second match so we knew what we were facing," Roxburgh said. "When Walter came back he said: 'We've no chance.'

"They had Marco van Basten up front and we all know what happened with him.

"We thought there's only one thing for it - usual Scottish mentality, we'll just have to fight. We go a goal down but we fight back in a positive way, we equalised and in fact we finished really strongly.

"We only needed a draw and on we went."

The pair went on to take their team to the World Youth Championships, where current Scotland manager Steve Clarke encountered Smith for the first time.

“Firstly, I am shocked and saddened to hear of Walter’s passing and my thoughts are with his family,” said Clarke yesterday.

“He was a formidable manager and a formidable man. He always had a strength and presence that marked him out and no doubt contributed to the great success he had throughout his career.

“I had my first experience at the World Youth Championship when he was Andy Roxburgh’s assistant in 1983 and, even back then, he was impressive in his coaching and how he carried himself.

“He was always very supportive and terrific company when our paths crossed over the years. His loss will be felt profoundly across Scottish football.”

After a spell in charge of the under-21 side, Smith would work under Sir Alex Ferguson for the first time as his assistant at the 1986 World Cup, the pairing taking the senior side to the tournament following the tragic death of Jock Stein. When the Scots were eliminated at the group stage, Smith embarked upon his incredibly successful first spell at Rangers.

Eighteen years, an abundance of trophies and a spell at Everton later, Smith answered the call to help unite the nation behind its team once more. His first call was a masterstroke, bringing great pal and Celtic legend Tommy Burns onto his coaching staff alongside another close friend in former Rangers striker Ally McCoist.

The trio had a mix of chemistry and coaching expertise that galvanised both the national team players and the Tartan Army squarely behind them.

A home draw against Italy and an away win in Norway raised hopes that the Scots may even be able to make an unlikely push for qualification to the 2006 World Cup, but a surprise 1-0 home defeat to Belarus dashed that dream and showed that there was still work to be done.

Within two years of Smith’s appointment though, Scotland had risen 70 places in the world rankings, secured silverware with the Kirin Cup triumph in Japan, and defeated a France side featuring world-class superstars like Lillian Thuram, Claude Makalele, Patrick Viera, Franck Ribery and Thierry Henry.

"It's a tremendous result and certainly the best I've ever had as a manager," said Smith in the aftermath of the game at a delirious national stadium.

But alas, the lure of a second opportunity to manage Rangers was too much for Smith to resist, and within a few months, he was back at Ibrox.

“I wouldn't have done it for any other club,” he later said.

The last word on how well Smith served his country we will leave to a fellow Scotland legend in James McFadden, who was honoured to pull on the dark blue under his leadership.

"It's a really tough day," McFadden said. "Walter is a guy who is synonymous with Rangers, but he's sheer class. Legend is a term used far too often.

"But he was above that, he really was. It wasn't just for Rangers, it was for the whole of Scottish football. It's a really sad day and a really sad loss.

"He was brilliant to work with. When you met him, you instantly knew why people speak about him the way they do. You see why he's held so highly.

"He had that presence about him. For him with Scotland, he brought in a club atmosphere. That's why we were on the road to success under Walter.

"He was a giant of a man. He was a funny guy and he could cut you down in a couple of words. It was an honour to play for him."