Don't you just hate those football statements that don't really say much of anything at all? You know the ones. Bland to the point of banality, noting such and such a development, diplomatic to a fault. And don't get me started on the use of a capitalised 'C' with 'club'.

So, hats off to Rangers, who not only used the proper lower case letters in their proper place, but left us in absolutely no doubt what they think of Dundee in their response to their match at Dens Park being postponed for a second time.

They turned the flamethrowers on the Dee with such ferocity that they might just have dried out their pitch had their words been within range of it. Dundee's actions in maintaining their pitch - or in not, as it transpired - were 'unprofessional' and 'negligent', and furthermore, were 'damaging' and 'embarrassing' the top flight in this country.

It is hard to argue with the strength of their feeling, or with their rhetoric.

It’s hard not to feel a little bit sorry for Dundee supporters, mind. No, not in general, all you Arabs out there. But nobody likes to have the name of their club dragged through the mud, so to speak.

It is the natural inclination for any set of fans of to leap to the defence of their beloved club, but the Dee support have been working almost as hard as the embattled Dens Park ground staff recently to withstand the torrent of criticism coming their way.

I’m sorry to say though that the stick they have taken over their pitch is entirely valid, and they should be focusing their energy on holding their club leadership to account for some of their budgetary decisions rather than wasting their energy on defending the indefensible.

Visiting fans to Dens Park have now, on multiple occasions this season, been treated without due consideration at the very least. And arguably, with contempt.

From the farcical Aberdeen call off when thousands of Dons fans were already in the city, to the first Rangers postponement two hours before the game was due to kick off. To the Motherwell game at the weekend eventually being given the green light when it was already too late for many visiting fans to travel, and now with the second postponement of the Rangers fixture, those who are covering great distances and spending serious money to follow their teams have been the last thought time and time again.

READ MORE: New date for Rangers visit to Dundee as SPFL say disciplinary process ongoing

The state of the pitch, and how it alone in Scotland – nay, the street - is in such a nick, is one issue. As is how Dundee go about remedying the situation for next season. Having published huge financial losses this week, I doubt the prospect of absorbing another half a million quid or so in the red column this summer is appealing to the ownership.

But another standalone issue is the farcical pitch inspection process which has contributed to the absurdity of this entire palaver.

When the first Rangers game was belatedly called off, a local ref was sent to do a job way above his paygrade in making a call over the suitability of the surface, and as such, the decision dragged on until the inevitable cancellation was both a massive inconvenience to the players in their preparations and the fans who were travelling.

The same drawn-out process occurred again at the weekend, with Motherwell incensed at the late call to press ahead with the game when they had serious concerns over the welfare of their players and the treatment of their supporters.

Call me a cynic, but with the split looming and with Rangers due to visit Dens Park this week, it rather gave the impression that the SPFL were so desperate to get the game played that both the safety of the players and the travelling fans were secondary considerations.

Thankfully, both sets of players emerged unscathed at the weekend, but had there been a serious injury suffered due to the surface, where would that have left the SPFL? 

The pitch actually played not too badly on Saturday all things considered, at least for the most part. There did however appear to be an acceptance from both teams that when the ball was in one of the large sandy sections of the pitch, all tackles were off.

It rather begs the question of where the leadership is here from the league body? I was almost ready to give the SPFL credit (believe me, I was) when the message was relayed on Tuesday that an 11am inspection would be taking place at Dens Park on the morning of the Rangers game, so that both the teams and their supporters would know nice and early whether or not the game was a goer.

I should have known better. Lo and behold, a second inspection was subsequently pencilled in for 3.30pm. The extra rainfall between those checks had tipped the balance, the match was postponed, and the farce rolls on.

Going forward, there should be a minimum amount of time before kick-off that final pitch inspections take place, and there should be clear punishments set out in advance for teams who consistently fail to maintain a playable surface.

READ MORE: Rangers slam Dundee and SPFL after Dens Park match is postponed again

After all, as Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell pointed out at the weekend, some teams have invested significantly in their pitch and been forced to trim their playing budget as a consequence. When his club has then directly missed out on signing targets to Dundee, you can see why that might stick in his craw.

There has to be a clear incentive for directing the necessary budget towards the maintenance of pitches, and a clear disincentive for allowing a surface to fall into the state of disrepair that Dundee have.

As it is, the Dundee hierarchy are making mugs of us all, and as Rangers spelled out, a mockery of the league.

The last thing I would want to do is wish further financial strife upon any club in such challenging times, particularly one who posted such losses during the week. But sometimes, you reap what you sow.