currently reading Clive toye's book, A kick in the Grass, and can recommend it as a first rate read. If you are in anyway interested in the NASL, how it happened, what exactly went on and how we got to where we are today you have to read this book....spellbinding, well written and a lesson for us all.
Any idea where I can find this book? Doesn't look like Amazon has it available. Also doesn't look like there's a website for either the book or the publisher. Looking forward to reading it though... Hopefully your book is in bookstores everywhere when it comes out, Mike.
Finished reading Clive's book and it really is excellent, a heck of a read. It is published by St. Johann Press, Haworth, NJ the owner is Dave Biesel and his number is 201 387-1529 . Mine is finished and Kenny Cooper sr just wrote the foreward so now its all about getting it published. I'll let you know. Mike
Great news. I just googled "St. Johann's Press" and got only one hit, a link to Dave Litterer's great website that everyone who's ever googled NASL has visited. http://www.sover.net/~spectrum/nasl/naslhist.html A complete NASL Player Register has been published as "The North American Soccer League Encyclopedia", by Colin Jose. It may be bought through Amazon.com or directly from St. Johann's Press, 315 Schraalenburg Rd., PO Box 241, Haworth, NJ 07641. $29.95. They don't seem to have a website, but their distrutor has some info on them. http://www.cbedatabase.com/books_publisher_info.php?pid=12342 St. Johann has an interesting mix of books. It's too late to drop hints to my wife for Christmas, but there are always birthdays.
A Kick In the Grass is now available at amazon.com. Order it along with Stoker Season: When Soccer Invaded the Neighborhood, and earn Super Saver Shipping! Another shameless plug by the old hack (certainly not in reference to Mr. Toye).
I can highly recommend both books for the excellent, informative reads they are.....of course mine is better, i've just got to find a publisher who agrees with my unbiased opinion.....
Really a shame this book isn't garnering more attention here. My copy finally arrived Saturday, and I never put it down until 'way past midnight (the wife decided I could spend the night with Clive and the NASL instead, and left me to read in peace ). A Kick In the Grass should be mandatory reading for anyone who has an ounce of passion about pro soccer in the USA. My one criticism is that such a tome by Mr. Toye is about 25 years overdue. He lived it start-to-finish, and holds little back, good, bad, and worse, about the NASL. Read it and get some wisdom rather than continuing to pop off here & elsewhere about what the majority of us only saw from the outside, if that. I wish that everyone on BS could have been around to experience the NASL start-to-finish. Lots of fun times and a great deal of great soccer in between, all in spite of the silver-spooned inbred idiots that brought it all down. So, if American soccer is more to you than just a night of brew and birds, read this book. Confirm your suspicions or adjust your thinking on the NASL, courtesy of the man who was there, worked hard at it, and saw it all. As mentioned, it's available at www.amazon.com The contributor is in no way compensated for the above comments. I'll be glad to review your book.