JIM McInally today paid a heartfelt tribute to former Morton chairman Douglas Rae - and claimed the Cappielow club would have gone out of existence without him.

Rae, who has passed away following a period of ill health aged 87, prevented administrators from putting the Inverclyde club into liquidation back in 2001.

McInally, the former Dundee United and Scotland midfielder, was appointed Morton manager shortly after he assumed control and spent four seasons working under him.

He won the Second Division title in the 2006/07 season, but moved on following a poor run of results in the second tier the following season.

But the current Peterhead manager remained in touch with the Greenock businessman, who ran the Golden Casket confectionary firm, and was devastated to learn of his death.

“He was my chairman, but he was also my friend,” said McInally. “I was delighted that even when I left the club he and his wife came up to stay with me. We stayed on good terms. When I went to Peterhead he put in a good word with the chairman for me.

“I thought he was invincible. If I thought I wasn’t going to see him again I would have gone out of my road to make sure I would go and see him. I thought the world of him.

“I actually thought he was a loss to Scottish football. He came into the game quite late. I always thought he would have been quite a good head of the SFA or the SFL. He had good business acumen, but he also had good football knowledge. He would have put a lot of things right in my opinion.

“First and foremost, without him there wouldn’t have been a Greenock Morton Football Club. His ultimate dream was to take the club back to the Premiership. That never happened in his lifetime which is sad.

“But I think his legacy is that he saved the club and then kept them running as a good business without going daft.”

McInally recalled how lifelong supporter Rae backed him to the hilt during his four years in the dugout at Morton – even when he personally disagreed with his decisions.

“His loyalty to managers was terrific,” he said. “There used to be rumours going about that he picked the team and interfered. I just ignored them. I knew the truth. I quickly appreciated the fact it was his football club.

“He did used to come into the dressing room before the game, he did used to come in after the game. But he used to enjoy listening to what was being said. My take on it was that it was his football club. I didn’t have a problem with it. It didn’t change what I did. I was quite happy for him to be there.

“On a Friday when we used to speak he would say: ‘Right, what’s your team for tomorrow? I’ll tell you my team’. I used to enjoy the banter. We were never far apart. But he would never impose anything on you.”

McInally continued: “When I joined Morton there were two Australian boys there, John and Marco Maisano. They were getting well-paid. Douglas was also giving them a flat and a car. He thought the world of them, of John especially.

“Early on I stopped playing John. I could see how disappointed he was. He used to argue his case all the time. But I didn’t budge. At the end of the season when I told him I wanted to release John he was in shock.

“I then had to go into a board meeting with all the directors. When I told them I was freeing John Arthur Montford nearly had a heart attack. But when Arthur challenged me on it who was the first to jump in and back me up? Douglas.

“I thought: ‘What a great chairman you are! You don’t agree with me, but you’ve still got my back!’ He was brilliant.”