{"title":"Books by Jon Spurling","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781399625913","title":"Highbury","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'SPORTING HISTORY AT ITS BEST' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eDaily Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A TERRIFIC READ AND A WORTHY TRIBUTE' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eFourFourTwo\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'VERY WELL WRITTEN AND RESEARCHED'\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e Nostalgic Gooner\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom Herbert Chapman to Arsène Wenger, this is the definitive history of Arsenal's time at the famous Highbury stadium.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter several years of sitting in Highbury's local pubs and cafés with a dictaphone, Jon Spurling has pooled hours of exclusive interviews with fans, programme sellers, local publicans and even those who dug the foundations of the Laundry End (and later cleared rubbish from its terraces) to meticulously construct the biography of the ground and chart the ups and downs of one of England's greatest league clubs.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSpurling has also spoken to numerous players, the late greats of yesteryear including Ted Drake, George Male and Reg Lewis, legends of a more recent vintage from Bob Wilson, Charlie George and Malcolm MacDonald to Anders Limpar, as well as heroes of the Wenger era such as Patrick Vieira.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWritten in the year that Arsenal moved to the Emirates, Jon Spurling has produced the definitive account of the club's 93 years at Highbury.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56298389373301,"sku":"9781399625913","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781399625913_43ecd579-c0af-4532-9dbd-b39d7874a27c.jpg?v=1786019875"},{"product_id":"9781785907494","title":"Go To War","description":"In the 1980s, politicians declared war on football;football supporters declared war on each other inside crumbling stadiums thatresembled bomb sites and the '82 and '86 World Cups were played against thebackdrop of the Falklands conflict. It was a decade in which some fans diedwatching the game they loved, and at times, the 'slum sport' seemed set toimplode. Yet, remarkably, the game was on the cusp of morphing into thebehemoth it has become today.   Set against a backdrop of economic recession,rampant hooliganism and suspect fashion, Go To War tells the story ofhow triumph and tragedy shaped English football during the 1980s. Throughoutthis explosive book, author Jon Spurling delves into the stories behind thesuccesses and strife.   Thirty years in the making, Go To War drawson interviews conducted with '80s icons including Terry Butcher, Graeme Sharpand Ray Wilkins, managerial legends like Howard Kendall and Bobby Robson and FACup heroes Ricky Villa and Norman Whiteside. Like its precursor, thebestselling Get It On, Go To War provides a unique insight into apivotal footballing decade.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":57685675245941,"sku":"9781837360536","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":56305581162869,"sku":"9781785907494","price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781837360536_1b804ce1-91a0-48a5-9c10-705c39c1670a.jpg?v=1792598818"},{"product_id":"9781785907869","title":"Get It On","description":"\"Sheer joy\" - Patrick Barclay\"Exhilarating\" - When Saturday Comes\"Perfect\" - Josh WiddicombeFour years after the crowning glory of 1966, and a decade after the abolition of the maximum wage, a brash new era dawned in English football. As the 1970s took hold, a new generation of larger-than-life players and managers emerged, appearing on television sets in vivid technicolour for the first time.   Set against a backdrop of strikes, political unrest, freezing winters and glam rock, Get It On tells the inside story of how commercialism, innovation, racism and hooliganism rocked the national game in the 1970s.   Packed with interviews with the legends of the day, this footballing fiesta charts the emergence of Brian Clough, Bob Paisley and Kevin Keegan and the fall of George Best, Alf Ramsey and Don Revie, presenting a vibrant portrait of the most groundbreaking decade in English football history.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56305582965109,"sku":"9781785907869","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781785907869_88ad003b-a4d1-4b58-9b94-ad1382e62bc6.jpg?v=1786025452"},{"product_id":"9781840189001","title":"Rebels for the Cause","description":"\u003cp\u003eArsenal's on-field success has been well documented. But what has never been written before is the equally remarkable history of Arsenal's rebels, both on and off the pitch. Spanning almost 120 years, and set against a backdrop of turbulent social and political change, \u003ci\u003eRebels for the Cause\u003c\/i\u003e assesses the legacy and impact of Arsenal's most controversial players, officials and matches.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e From hard men like '30s player Wilf Copping to the reformed wild ones of recent years such as Tony Adams, Jon Spurling highlights the infamous figures whose refusal to conform has made them terrace legends. Mavericks such as '80s star Charlie Nicholas and the 'King of Highbury' Charlie George are here, as are '70s lads Alan Hudson and Malcolm Macdonald.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The book also focuses on the club's revolutionary founding fathers, David Danskin and Jack Humble, the terrifying '20s 'soccer Tsar' Sir Henry Norris and David Dein's controversial introduction of free-market economics to Highbury in the regressive '80s. Also investigated are the stories behind Arsenal's most infamous tabloid exposés.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Featuring extensive interviews with 15 former players, \u003ci\u003eRebels for the Cause\u003c\/i\u003e is an indispensable guide to the alternative history of Arsenal Football Club, shedding new light on the origins of the rivalry with Tottenham, on many of Highbury's cult heroes and on the struggle of several players to adapt to life outside the game.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308017791349,"sku":"9781840189001","price":11.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781840189001_4f39dc03-92c5-4494-8248-d64e7f2a465b.jpg?v=1786028243"},{"product_id":"9781899750238","title":"Top Guns","description":"\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback \/ softback","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308620394869,"sku":"9781899750238","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781899750238_ef799a02-8351-4a6e-85a9-b9adbd783ff0.jpg?v=1786029495"},{"product_id":"9781899750085","title":"All Guns Blazing","description":"\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback \/ softback","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308947222901,"sku":"9781899750085","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781899750085_0e5aac43-c53e-4618-a668-6fc4443c7ed8.jpg?v=1786029494"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-jon-spurling.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}