Dougie Imrie on the 'fire' behind his football journey as Morton boss opens up on his rocky road to the dugout

There's been a fire burning deep inside Dougie Imrie since he was six years old. We’ve all seen it, or felt it, at some point.

In his playing days, Imrie was the wee guy opposition fans loved to hate. A pest for 90 minutes. Because he grafted on the pitch as if his life depended on it. And it’s the same now as a manager. His Morton team don’t know when to give in as Motherwell found out to their cost on Friday night as they crashed out of the Scottish Cup at Cappielow. Throughout his life, not just his career, Imrie has been proving people wrong.

But where does that hunger come from? Maybe he’s had it from the day he was born? He’s certainly aware of it, that’s for sure. Despite being reluctant to call it anger, he’s probably not too far off the mark. The pain and hurt he felt from his parents’ separation at the age of just six still lingers now. He had a brother and sister to look after. Going to live with his grandparents might just have saved him from God knows what.

But all of that stuff fuels him to this day. It’s why he made it as a professional footballer, aged 23, when most people told him to quit his dreams. It’s why he went on to have a 500-game career at five different clubs, mostly playing in Scotland’s top flight. And it’s why now – despite the doubters who questioned his credentials to be a coach – he has built a squad with the lowest budget in the Championship and got them challenging at the top end of the table.

Even then, Imrie can’t settle. The flame is still burning and he wants more. He has ambitions to manage at the highest level in the game. And it will take a brave man to tell him it’s not possible.

In an exclusive interview with MailSport , he opened up for the first time on a troubled childhood,