Dundee exited the Scottish Cup with a whimper as Rangers claimed a comprehensive 3-0 victory.
Goals from Connor Goldson, James Tavernier and Fashion Sakala secured the visitors’ place at Hampden, while the Dee are left to focus on their scrap for Premiership survival.
And Courier Sport was at Dens Park to analyse the major talking points.
John Nelms notable by his absence
Dundee supporters voted with their feet on Sunday.
A quarter-final against Rangers at Dens Park should have been a raucous occasion for the Dark Blues’ faithful.
An opportunity to disregard the pressures of a fraught league scrap and pursue a first Scottish Cup semi-final appearance since 2006. Sixteen long years.
Instead, the encounter played out as a microcosm of everything going wrong at Dens.
Of the 5,536 in attendance, Dundee fans were outnumbered by more than three-to-one. The atmosphere in the home section was flat; apathetic.
Perhaps the most notable absentee was Dundee’s managing director John Nelms.
The decision to replace James McPake with Mark McGhee was the most impactful call of the campaign by owners Tim Keyes and Nelms.
As yet, the results are played six, won none, drawn two, lost four and fan disillusionment exacerbated. For supporters to see an empty seat in the director’s box where Nelms should be is a dire look.
He did manage to take in some sporting action over the weekend, attending the Six Nations fixture between Italy and Scotland at the Stadio Olimpico.
And that sparse home crowd should not be used as a stick with which to beat the Dee fans.
At a time of crushing financial pressures, that £30 price tag for an adult ticket — when the game was on television — was beyond the pale for many.
Meanwhile, those on the fence have been given little cause to dip into their pockets by recent events on the pitch.
Positivity and belief are eroding at an alarming rate.
Shot-shy Dee
Dundee assistant manager Simon Rusk rued Dundee’s defensive failings on Sunday. That is understandable.
The hosts were evidently far from watertight and, but for some fine Harry Sharp saves and clearances off the line by Jordan McGhee and Ryan Sweeney, the score could have been far worse.
And, given the 4-0 hammering at the hands of Livingston on February 26, a desire to build from the back is easy to comprehend.
However, the numbers at the other end are arguably more concerning.
Dundee have scored one goal in their last five matches.
They have registered one shot in target in their last two fixtures.
Jason Cummings, now plying his trade in Australia, remains the club’s top goalscorer.
Danny Mullen, tireless and willing, was helplessly isolated for swathes of the game against Rangers.
If McGhee’s men are to escape the drop, they must find potency in the final third.
Lee Ashcroft sweat
If the result and overriding air of lassitude were not bad enough, Lee Ashcroft was withdrawn prior to half-time.
The former Dunfermline captain clutched his hamstring, signalled to the bench and slumped to the turf with his hands over his face. Devastation.
Ashcroft’s impact in both boxes, and the dressing room, cannot be overstated.
He has already missed three months of the season with a hamstring injury that required surgery.
Should this prove to be a recurrence of the same issue — that is the initial fear — then it will be another hammer-blow for the Dee’s survival hopes.
