Dundee Sign Striker
Dundee have completed the signing of Czech striker Jan Zemlik. The six foot seven inch forward has linked up at Dens Park after convincing manager Alex Rae of his ability during a two week trial at the club. Zemlik scored a hat-trick in a bounce game on Friday for the Dark Blues and now joins new recruit Frederic Daquin.
Dundee beat Millwall 2-1 at Dens on Saturday thanks to two goals from new striker Jan Zemlik, another czech player played centre half and he will likely be offered a deal by Alex Rae.
Dundee’s Czech contingent doubled today when experienced defender Milan Palenik was signed on a one-year deal after impressing boss Alex Rae in the weekend win over Millwall. And today, Alex confirmed the free agent had been snapped up quickly to add experience and depth to his defensive options. “He looked the part on Saturday. He’s strong and knew h
is position well — he’ll add experience at the back and extra quality,” he said. And while he was remaining cautious about success in a friendly, the gaffer also didn’t hide his delight with the way new striker Jan Zemlik is settling in. “The big man is a handful for defences and is scoring as well. If that continues we will all be happy with him. However, it’s still early and these are not the games that matter. No-one is getting carried away.” Zemlik is likely to be on duty again when Dundee send a strong team to Arbroath tomorrow night. “I’m leaning towards it being mainly first-team men at Arbroath and we have a closed-door game at Hibs on Wednesday, so everyone should get a run over the two games. “That’s important because we need everyone to get games they need, but it’s also important we keep everyone fit.” Portuguese striker Andre Martins has arrived on trial. He’s trained with Bayern Munich and is also wanted by Partick. Dundee manager Alex Rae has turned down an all-expenses-paid trip to the Olympic Stadium in Athens a week on Saturday, where the Dens men would have played a game against top European opposition. Meanwhile, Dundee’s pre-season build-up continued last night with a 1-0 win over Arbroath at Gayfield, courtesy of a goal by trialist Andre Martins. The success was marred by the early injury to goalkeeper Ludovic Roy and the sending-off of his replacement Craig Samson for handling outside the box. Left-back Paul Dixon ended up between the sticks for the final few minutes of the match.
Dundee 2 Kilmarnock 2, Dens Park, 21/July/07
IF A manager truly does pass on some of his own characteristics to his players, then it seems Alex Rae has transmitted plenty of his tenacity on to this Dundee team. Against Kilmarnock on Saturday they had to come back from a goal down on two occasions, but did so with aplomb and could quite easily have secured victory over their Premier League opposition. Of course, Rae, who was without towering Czech Jan Zemlik due to injury, would prefer if his players did not need to call upon their powers of recovery too often but he must have been refreshed to see their fighting spirit shine through. Milan Palenik, who signed on a one-year deal last week, won his contract on the back of a flawless performance against Millwall last time out but was given a more testing introduction to Scottish football by Paul di Giacomo, whose quick feet left the Czech flailing inside the box and won Kilmarnock a 19th-minute penalty. Di Giacomo scored from the spot but, like so many times last season, that jolted Dundee into life and encouraged them to produce better. Bob Davidson hit the post with a cracking shot from 18 yards before Derek Lyle, whose influence will be sorely missed in the opening month of the season trough suspension, sent a shot high into the top corner to equalise. Man-of-the-moment Steven Naismith then restored Killie’s lead in 62 minutes but new signing David O’Brien, who already looks a shrewd acquisition from Stirling Albion, secured the draw with a shot at the back post a minute later. Goalkeeper Craig Samson, in for injured captain Ludovic Roy, has watched his new team-mates gel over the past few weeks and is upbeat about the season ahead. He said, “We’ve been preparing well, our training has gone brilliantly and we’re all looking forward to the new season. “Although you can’t read too much into pre-season games, we’re unbeaten in two against good opposition so our confidence is growing all the time. “I had a personal interest in doing well against Killie because I grew up with a lot of their guys and there was a lot of banter flying about last week.
“A couple of them were on the phone telling me they were going to score past me and I got a few texts but, thankfully, we got a draw so the bragging rights are even. “When I signed the manager said he was looking to bring in more players and he’s done that.
“The squad is looking strong. He’s happy with the squad so now it’s going to be up to us to prove his faith in us is justified and that we’re good enough to get back into the SPL.
“A couple of them were on the phone telling me they were going to score past me and I got a few texts but, thankfully, we got a draw so the bragging rights are even. “When I signed the manager said he was looking to bring in more players and he’s done that.
“The squad is looking strong. He’s happy with the squad so now it’s going to be up to us to prove his faith in us is justified and that we’re good enough to get back into the SPL.
Dundee 1 Motherwell 2, Dens Park, 24/July/07
DUNDEE’S unbeaten pre-season run was ended as SPL Motherwell ran out winners in a largely low-key friendly at Dens Park.Chances were rare until a spell of six second-half minutes that saw three high-quality strikes.The first came in 69 minutes when one-time Dundee United target Chris Porter hit the back of the net from no more than a yard after a Trevor Molloy cross was knocked down by skipper Jim Paterson.As they had done against top-flight Kilmarnock at the weekend, the Dark Blues roared back and impressive sub David O’Brien netted with a fine 14-yard strike just four minutes later.Little over a minute after that, though, the Steelmen earned victory with a goal fit to win any game—Irishman Molloy blasting home from all of 25 yards from a short free-kick.While disappointed, Dundee manager Alex Rae highlighted the quality of the goal that had beaten his team and overall was not unhappy with the effort put in.
“In the end it’s a wonder strike that beat us, but the boys worked hard and that will have done them some good,” he said. We made changes in the second half to make sure the boys who needed a run-out got some action and I think that made the game a bit disjointed.”
After a quiet start, Dundee had come within a whisker of taking the lead in the 10th minute. A Freddie Daquin corner reached Gary McKenzie in the box and the big defender was unlucky to see his hooked shot hit the post. The home side had enjoyed the better of the early exchanges and a Gavin Swankie cross from the left reached Daquin at the back post. He cut the ball back, but there were no takers. The visitors had taken time to get going and when they pushed forward Martyn Corrigan curled a 20-yard effort a yard wide of Ludovic Roy’s goal.
Dundee started the second half with a new central defensive partnership of Danny Griffin and Craig Sives and with Daquin in a central striking role after O’Brien had replaced Bob Davidson.
If the home team had started the first half stronger, it was their SPL opponents who took the initiative in the opening minutes of the second. Molloy, a 53rd-minute replacement for veteran Phil O’Donnell, might have broken the deadlock when he moved the ball on to his left foot 14 yards from goal, but Dixon’s block deflected the ball behind. otherwell’s Porter then made his way to the edge of the box where his floated finish went yards wide. The big Englishman made amends with his goal and then suddenly the game had come to life, though that turned out to be bad news for the home side.
Dundee—Roy, Worrell, McKenzie (Sives 45), Palenik (Griffin 45), Dixon, Daquin (Zemlik 68), McDonald (McHale 58), Robertson (Rae 71), Swankie, Davidson (O’Brien 45), Lyle. Sub not used—Murray.
“In the end it’s a wonder strike that beat us, but the boys worked hard and that will have done them some good,” he said. We made changes in the second half to make sure the boys who needed a run-out got some action and I think that made the game a bit disjointed.”
After a quiet start, Dundee had come within a whisker of taking the lead in the 10th minute. A Freddie Daquin corner reached Gary McKenzie in the box and the big defender was unlucky to see his hooked shot hit the post. The home side had enjoyed the better of the early exchanges and a Gavin Swankie cross from the left reached Daquin at the back post. He cut the ball back, but there were no takers. The visitors had taken time to get going and when they pushed forward Martyn Corrigan curled a 20-yard effort a yard wide of Ludovic Roy’s goal.
Dundee started the second half with a new central defensive partnership of Danny Griffin and Craig Sives and with Daquin in a central striking role after O’Brien had replaced Bob Davidson.
If the home team had started the first half stronger, it was their SPL opponents who took the initiative in the opening minutes of the second. Molloy, a 53rd-minute replacement for veteran Phil O’Donnell, might have broken the deadlock when he moved the ball on to his left foot 14 yards from goal, but Dixon’s block deflected the ball behind. otherwell’s Porter then made his way to the edge of the box where his floated finish went yards wide. The big Englishman made amends with his goal and then suddenly the game had come to life, though that turned out to be bad news for the home side.
Dundee—Roy, Worrell, McKenzie (Sives 45), Palenik (Griffin 45), Dixon, Daquin (Zemlik 68), McDonald (McHale 58), Robertson (Rae 71), Swankie, Davidson (O’Brien 45), Lyle. Sub not used—Murray.
