One suspects that the £30 ticket price for a game being shown on television these weary foot soldiers were being very sincere indeed.

A convergence of events around the last-minute defeat to St Mirren that kept Dundee rooted to the bottom of the Premiership has served to deepen the sense of gloom as the Dens Park side prepare to host Rangers for a place in the last four of the Scottish Cup.

It wasn’t helped when James McPake, the manager surprisingly sacked following successive wins last month, posted the view he was enjoying on a break in East Lothian the morning after the game on social media.

Dundee managing director John Nelms, left, will be absent as manager Mark McGhee searches for his first win as manager.

Although McPake isn’t the bitter type, it was easy to interpret this as pointed. An Australian newspaper, meanwhile, published an interview with Jason Cummings, the striker who left Dens Park during the transfer window. He outlined how unfair he felt his treatment had been. This emerged shortly before Dundee lost their precious game in hand over St Johnstone to remain bottom of the table.

Cummings remains Dundee’s top goalscorer on six goals. Few would be surprised if that is still the case in May.

And then there’s the return of Ivano Bonetti to consider. The former Dundee manager will be in town this evening for 'An Audience With' event at a city centre hotel where such tales as signing Claudio Caniggia will be recounted. He has already told the local newspaper he would like to return to manage Dundee again. Some fans are now so desperate they are even treating this seriously.

It’s a fine time to be welcoming a team with one foot in the last eight of the Europa League. Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team arrive at Dens Park high on the fumes of Thursday’s 3-0 Europa League last-16 victory against Red Star Belgrade.

Dundee's players were left dejected on Wednesday after a late defeat by St Mirren.

It does on first impression seem like an exciting tie against a team at the top of their game. Perhaps that’s why Dundee managing director John Nelms did not even try pretending he had negotiated with Rangers to lower ticket prices amid unprecedented financial pressure on families.

Unlike neighbours Dundee United, who at least agreed a £3 reduction with Monday night's opponents Celtic, Dundee stuck rigidly to their pricing mechanism in the knowledge that away tickets were guaranteed to sell out in any case.

It is Dundee’s first home Scottish Cup quarter-final since a derby against Dundee United nine years ago. A 2-1 defeat meant it was a familiar tale of hopes being dashed.

Now even hope has been extinguished. It’s feared trepidation mixed with apathy will keep the home support down to an estimated 1,500 – at best. Only around 800 tickets had been sold by Friday.

Ticket sales for Rangers' visit to Dens Park have been poor from a Dundee perspective.

Home supporters could be outnumbered by as many as three to one by away fans. While this isn’t necessarily unusual when either side of the Old Firm are in town, it surely indicates something is seriously wrong when an opportunity to reach Hampden for the first time since 2006 is on offer.

One empty seat will seem particularly notable. It’s understood Nelms will again be absent from a big game at Dens after missing Wednesday’s loss to St Mirren. He is believed to be abroad. It’s not a good look ahead of such a critical week for the club. Nelms broke cover to an extent last week when he answered some questions via supporters’ liaison officer John Burke, who then posted the answers on a fans’ forum.

Among such depressing admissions as being unprepared to upgrade the club’s wi-fi system to facilitate more efficient ticket sales was news about the new stadium.

Nelms has long planned to move out of a home that is now being systematically run down. Although land for a new ground on the north fringe of the city was bought as far back as 2016, planning permission setbacks coupled with the pandemic means little progress has been made. A project consultants meeting is scheduled for Thursday.

Such a crucial week for the club’s future is bookended by two games at Dens Park against Rangers. Dundee have already run the Ibrox side very close in the league at home this season.

An early goal from Joe Aribo was the difference in September on an afternoon when the two dug-outs were occupied by different managers to those now in charge.

Steven Gerrard was then in his last few weeks at Ibrox. McPake had already made one of the most significant and perhaps ill-fated decisions of his reign by bringing in Leigh Griffiths on loan from Celtic.

He was subbed in the first half after aggravating a knock. Cummings replaced him but missed a second-half penalty. The latter player only started two more games in four months before being disciplined for attending an Open Goal podcast event without permission and turning up the next day apparently unfit to train.

He has since resurfaced in Australia and will view the current situation at Dens with interest. Dundee have scored a paltry six goals in ten league games this year.

“The manager wasnae really having me,” Cummings told the Sydney Morning Herald. Dundee’s problems therefore pre-date Mark McGhee's arrival three days after the side booked a place in the last eight with a 3-0 win at Peterhead.

Indeed, McPake has already previewed this afternoon’s tie even though he is no longer manager.

He looked forward to it on the night of the draw and anticipated a rousing cup tie in front of a good atmosphere at Dens, where Dundee’s recent record against Rangers is surprisingly good – two wins, a draw and a narrow defeat in the last four meetings.

They haven’t, though, beaten the Ibrox side at this stage of the competition since a replay in 1984. Over 17,000 watched a pulsating first tie at Dens which finished 2-2.

It’s the cup and anything can happen but one thing is certain – while the old stadium cannot hold anything like that number any longer, the home stands will be far from full this afternoon.

A message from the Editor: Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers. If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.

Dundee apathy laid bare with Rangers in town: Dire ticket sales, John Nelms absence, spectres of previous manager and striker