Rangers’ recent decline continued with a dreadful goalless draw at Dundee, significantly undermining their increasingly shaky Premiership title ambitions.
The Ibrox team lost for the first time against Ross County on Sunday, their worst performance since manager Philippe Clement took over in October, and the Gers boss was hoping for a reaction against the Dark Blues.
In a game played on the third try after the Dens Park pitch was twice deemed unsuitable, there was little improvement against a Dundee team who impressed.
The travelling Gers fans urged their team on after the break but they lacked imagination and guile and again heard boos at the final whistle.
With five post-split matches remaining including a trip to Celtic Park, the Light Blues are three points behind the Hoops at the top of the table and have hit the skids at the wrong time.
Rangers will now prepare for the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup semi-final against Hearts at Hampden Park on Sunday with newly-acquired trepidation.
Tony Docherty’s Dundee, who commendably finished in the top six on their return to the top flight, are currently three points behind fifth-placed St Mirren, who earned their point.
Clement’s struggling side currently has only two wins in eight contests overall.
Dujon Sterling, Tom Lawrence, and Kemar Roofe all returned to the squad, with the latter earning his first start since December 20, while Borna Barisic, Kieran Dowell, and Cyriel Dessers were benched.
Ricki Lamie, Owen Dodgson, and Malachi Boateng returned for the Taysiders, who came close to scoring within a minute as Boateng’s low effort almost missed Ibrox goalkeeper Jack Butland’s right-hand post.
Dundee skipper Joe Shaughnessy limped off after 10 minutes to be replaced by Antonio Portales before Gers attacker Abdallah Sima outstripped the home defence but his low drive was blocked by the foot of Jon McCracken, the Dundee keeper saving another effort from the Brighton loanee moments later.
Dundee played the better football. In the 22nd minute Butland parried a Luke McCowan free-kick from 25 yards and Scott Tiffoney got to the rebound first to help it on to Amadou Bakayoko to knock over the line from a yard out but the offside flag went up.
Rangers toiled, making just infrequent threats.
McCracken pushed a flying free-kick from Gers captain James Tavernier round the post and saved a Connor Goldson header from the resulting corner, but the more calm and flowing home side were applauded off at halftime.
Rangers increased the tempo at the start of the second half, but there was no spark of inventiveness, and Dundee’s defence was structured.
Clement attempted a shake-up in the 56th minute, replacing Roofe, Todd Cantwell, and Fabio Silva with Dessers, Dowell, and Rabbi Matondo, and McCracken was forced to save Lawrence’s effort from a close angle.
McCracken made a wonderful stop from Dessers’ curling shot as the Dees defence was stretched for the first time, and he held a poor Tavernier header, but the visitors were primarily huffing and puffing, while Dundee remained a threat.
Worryingly for Gers fans, their team’s form has dipped at the wrong moment of the season.
