The Zlin Chronicle
Match22 Jul 2028
The wait goes on for Zlin
12 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Squad24 Jul 2028
A one-man rearguard from Tadeáš Stoppen
There were 7 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Squad24 Jul 2028
Tempers go at Zlin
Danijel Šturm was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad24 Jul 2028
Daniel Dekhtiar is a better footballer than he was
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 21 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Boardroom24 Jul 2028
Graduation day at Zlin
5 boys move up, and somewhere in the building the people who coached them at twelve are quietly having the best morning of their working year. Nothing about this shows up in a result and it is why the academy exists.
Squad24 Jul 2028
Amar Sejdic falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
The terraces24 Jul 2028
Zlin supporters have found a favourite in Dean Boltz
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 22-year-old it feels ownership of. Dean Boltz has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
Market24 Jul 2028
Zlin promote Vladimir Darida from within
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Vladimir Darida has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market24 Jul 2028
Martin Cerny steps up from the Zlin academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Martin Cerny has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
In brief
- Market Daniel Cerny steps up from the Zlin academy
- Market One of our own: Daniel Krejci joins the Zlin first team
- Player ratings Dean Boltz was on a different afternoon to everybody else