{"title":"Sport Biographies","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781785908255","title":"Kicking Back","description":"Nedum Onuoha was not a typical footballer. Picked by the Manchester City Academy aged ten, he was determined to continue his education despite the lure of a career under the floodlights. Fiercely intelligent on and off the pitch, Onuoha developed into a talented defender and played his part in City's meteoric rise.   In this characteristically forthright book, Onuoha reveals what goes on behind the scenes at top-tier clubs. Stuffed with insights into household names like Stuart Pearce, Sven-Goeran Eriksson, Roberto Mancini and Harry Redknapp, this is football and its most famous figures as you've never seen them before.   Kicking Back is also the story of one man's search for identity: as a footballer, as a black man in England and as an outsider in the US during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. 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The game isn’t quite what I was expecting. The game doesn’t always work like the people on television think it does. The game is better, worse and stranger than you can imagine, and that is coming from someone who saw it all with their own eyes.’                                Ever wondered what really goes on inside a Premier League dressing room, what it’s like to train under Roy Hodgson, Roberto Mancini and Fabio Capello – and what happens when you kick a sandwich at one of them?          When it comes to football, former Manchester City and England star Micah Richards has seen it all – and laughed about most of it. In The Game, Micah shares his funniest and frankest stories from on and off the pitch, be it arriving at his first England training session with two left boots, attempting to supervise the infamous Mario Balotelli or winding up Roy Keane on Super Sunday. 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Full of Micah’s signature cheeky wit, this intimate, unmissable memoir goes behind the scenes of the beautiful game and a remarkable life and career.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43128981749938,"sku":"9780008552923","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780008552923.jpg?v=1785658835"},{"product_id":"9781529914412","title":"Lifting","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWhen Loch Morlich freezes over, we cut a hole in the ice and jump in.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTom 'The Albatross' and Luke 'The Highland Oak' Stoltman    are the world's strongest brothers. Between them, they've won everything there is to win in the mighty world of Strongman.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Tom can deadlift a 430kg bar to hip height, equivalent to about seven washing machines. Luke isn't far behind. 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It’s a dreamy, indomitable life worth reading about as today’s tennis tries to return to form.”—\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“An intriguing book about a fascinating woman . . .  Highly recommended.”—\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal \u003c\/i\u003e(starred review) \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Delightful and engrossing, this is a must for tennis fans.”—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe story of 1930s tennis icon Alice Marble, and her life of sports, celebrity, and incredible mystery\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Who was Alice Marble? \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e In her public life, she was the biggest tennis star of the pre-war era, a household name like Joe DiMaggio and Joe Louis. She was famous for overcoming serious illness to win the biggest tournaments, including Wimbledon. 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Had she really nearly given her life for her country as a spy, shot during a wild car chase fleeing foreign espionage agents?\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e In \u003ci\u003eThe Divine Miss Marble\u003c\/i\u003e, bestselling author Robert Weintraub traveled the country to uncover her fascinating story. And the more he learned about her, the more her mysteries and contradictions deepened. Alice was a powerful woman who knew her worth, demanding equal pay to men decades earlier than other female athletes; yet she was held in sway by a domineering, highly successful coach with whom she had a volatile relationship. She was renowned for her California style, and had a brilliant mind and the guts to overcome a lifetime of physical trauma.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e For the first time here, we come closer than ever before to the truths of this unforgettable life, and somehow it’s a story even more extraordinary than everything we already know about the divine Alice Marble.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43204608721074,"sku":"9781524745370","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781524745370.jpg?v=1786021945"},{"product_id":"9781529373769","title":"The Flying Prince: Alexander Obolensky: The Rugby Hero Who Died Too Young","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e**Winner of the Rugby Book of the Year at the Sports Book Awards 2022**\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePrince Alexander Sergeevich Obolensky made his name on a cold January day at Twickenham in 1936, his achievements captured for posterity by the newsreels of the time. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn his England debut, having already scored one exhilarating try, the striking blond winger collected a pass on the right and, path blocked, veered left at such a pace that a line of opponents were left grasping at thin air. It was a historic try, unrivalled in skill and speed - and it inspired England's first ever victory over the All Blacks.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBorn to a noble family in St Petersburg in 1916, he had been due a life of wealth and privilege, until revolution forced the Obolenskys to flee Russia. Arriving in Britain with just a handful of possessions, they were reduced to relying on handouts, little Alex's very education resting on the charity of others. But as the young boy began his new life in a strange country, it was his natural sporting ability that would bring him lasting fame. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe controversial selection for England of a Russian-born prince was a huge story in the press, stirring up xenophobia as well as excitement at the 19-year-old Oxford student's sheer pace. His later exploits on and off the field would keep his name in the papers, yet Alex was destined to win only four international caps, despite touring with the Lions and appearing for the Barbarians. After joining the RAF to serve his adopted king and country, he died at the controls of a Hurricane in March 1940.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBringing a fascinating era to life, \u003ci\u003eThe Flying Prince\u003c\/i\u003e explores the mystery and mythology surrounding Alexander Obolensky, and for the first time tells the full story of the sporting hero who died too young.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e*****\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Well-researched . . . a pleasure to read. There are plenty of colourful characters' - \u003ci\u003eTHE TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'The fascinating tale of the Russian-born aristocrat who helped England beat the All-Blacks for the first time' JOHN AIZLEWOOD,\u003ci\u003e I NEWS\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e'\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eA first biography from Hugh Godwin, rugby correspondent of the \u003ci\u003ei\u003c\/i\u003e, and a fine fist he's made of it too' - \u003ci\u003eBEST RUGBY BOOKS 2021\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Expertly fills in the gaps . . . Now we have a biography his story deserves' - \u003ci\u003eTHE RUGBY PAPER\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43204629725362,"sku":"9781529373769","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781529373769_8a335594-26fc-4278-a7f8-ab122a9e4861.jpg?v=1786023323"},{"product_id":"9781529065107","title":"The Yoga Manifesto","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Raw. Vulnerable. Open. Truthful . . . This is a book that will open up the floor for even more honest conversations about the side of yoga we don't often see.' - Angie Tiwari @tiwariyoga\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHow did an ancient spiritual practice become the preserve of the privileged?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNadia Gilani has been practising yoga for twenty-five years. She has also worked as a yoga teacher. 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