Barry Ferguson believes any further decisions around Dundee vs Rangers should be taken out the home sides hands after the second postponement of the fixture.

The Scottish Premiership clash was originally scheduled to take place at Dens Park on March 17, but it had to be called off because referee Don Robertson deemed the pitch unplayable. They were then set to lock horns in Tayside on Wednesday, however after passing a morning pitch inspection, further rainfall caused Robertson to pull the plug on the fixture yet again when he had a second look at the surface in the afternoon.

The tie is now scheduled for April 17, with another pitch inspection arranged for the day earlier in hope of getting the game fulfilled. The announcement of the post-split league fixtures has also had to be put on the back burner as a result.

That whole process didn’t really surprise ex-Rangers captain, Ferguson, who reckons Dundee's pitch just cannot be trusted and he isn't confident it will cope with any rainfall between now and next week's proposed kick-off. 

“Only one thing has surprised me about the Dens Park pitch fiasco over these last few days," the former Rangers midfielder wrote in his Daily Record column. 

“And it certainly wasn’t when their game against Rangers was called off for a second time on Wednesday afternoon.

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"Like everyone else who watched Don Robertson’s 11am inspection live on Sky Sports News, I could see that coming from a mile off.

"No, what I find absolutely shocking is that here we all are, on Saturday morning, waiting for this farce to happen all over again next week.

“I’m no Sean Batty but I have the same weather app on my phone as most folk do these days and it’s telling me more rain is heading for Tayside over the course of the next few days. And unless there’s some kind of miracle, it’s going to come down on a pitch that can’t handle another drop of the stuff.

"So can someone please explain to me why the rest of us have been left to sit and hope somehow that surface might be playable the next time a referee is sent to give it the once over? Yes, according to Philippe Clement, a decision will be made on Tuesday.

"But why wait that long? We’re dealing with a playing surface which simply cannot be trusted and I’m afraid to say Dundee no longer deserve the chance to patch it up with running repairs.

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"That horse has bolted. The pitch is a shambles and it should not have been given the all-clear for Motherwell’s match up there last weekend. So the decision should be taken out of the hands of the clubs and a new venue should already have been nailed down and announced for Wednesday night.

"At least that way both managers, both teams and both sets of fans would have a bit of certainty to allow them to prepare in advance.

"Let’s not forget, Rangers also have a Scottish Cup semi final to get ready for the following Sunday.

"But it looks more likely that everyone will be keeping their fingers crossed again until Tuesday afternoon while knowing deep down that, even if the officials do say the game might be able to go ahead, the playing surface won’t be anywhere close to fit for purpose anyway.

"It really is a ridiculous situation and an embarrassing one for Scottish football. The rest of the UK is laughing at the state of our top league again and that’s a real boot in the balls given the hugely positive reaction to last week’s Old Firm game."