Britiain's Andy Vernon on the Spanish: "Notorious dopers, fowlers and cheaters.”

A fowler is someone who hunts birds for a living in a very unsporting manner.

You could have figured that out on your own with your higher level education.

Looking at the exchange makes Vernon look like a whiner though. Like it really matters what lane you start in for a CC race.

I presume he is using the word "fowler" like it is used in soccer: somebody who commits fowls (i.e. breaks the rules).

And the Spaniards who started outside their allocated shoot definitely committed a "fowl". Having raced at Euro XC before, I can tell you that the starting shoots are very narrow and can just about fit two people side by side. So by moving out to an unoccupied area of the starting line, it clearly gave those runners an advantage because they had a significant amount of starting room.

As far as I know, the place those Spaniards actually started from was reserved for runners competing without a team--it is poor form that no official stopped them. God knows they stop you for much less serious things in the call room before the race.

It could have been an honest mistake. The athletes in question might have had a last minute emergency and were rushed getting to the start line. But, given everything else that goes on in Spanish athletics, I am not inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Those would be fouls. Fowl are birds.

So is he saying the Spaniards were fouling the chute or shooting the fowl?

Please do not confuse the higher educated.

Readig through those tweets, Andy Vernon comes off as an enormous prick. I don't know if he's right or not, but the guy is obnoxious, especially since he's basically whining about a missed call.

Yes, Vernon is a piker.

Rojo: Could someone HELP ME. What is a piker..

In 1999, Fowler was fined £60,000 by his club for bringing the game into disrepute. While celebrating his goal against Liverpool's Merseyside rivals, Everton, Fowler used the white line of the penalty area to simulate cocaine use. Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier stated that this was a Cameroonian grass eating celebration, learnt from teammate Rigobert Song. Defending himself, Fowler later said this was a response to Everton fans who had insulted him with false accusations of drug abuse. Fowler received a four match suspension from the FA for this incident.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYEMa465re0

Vernon is a hugely popular figure in the UK and you will struggle to find anyone in the British Athletics community who does not like him - however, when you do find that person you will probably also find a quote from Vernon where he has publicly vented his anger at that person - case in point Ian Stewart. Former head of UK Endurance and class A cock! But despite the fact that everyone hated him no one would speak about against him as he was/is so powerful - not Vernon who happily went to the papers and social media to try and expose him for what he was!

I hope I don't offend Andy by saying he is not the most eloquent man in Britain so I hope you can forgive his spelling mistakes.

He is known as a bit of a joker and someone who likes to have fun and also enjoys a lighthearted argument so I am not surprised to see him getting involved with twitter arguments with people he doesn't know!

I doubt that he actually cares 'that much' about the Spaniards starting from the wrong pen but is just enjoying the opportunity to wind some people up!

I think he meant 'fouler' i.e. someone who commits a foul

the initial tweet sounded to me that he wasn't really serious, aka: he did not really want spain to be disqualified for this action.

And I agree with his general stance on spanish (long-) distance runners and doping cases. Seems like he's p*ssed at the fact that the winner is a proven doper. We really should have life time bans.

And yeah, Vernon is not a pr*ck by any means nor cocky, he is just an outspoken young lad who doesn't care about being politically correct etc.., something you don't find that often in US athletics anymore.

ps: yep, fully aware he is a GB athlete, just making a comparison here on a US running message board. Peace out !

Why are you shouting? !!

Nobody really knows what he meant. You can't understand those people. When they show interviews you hear stuff like:

"That bloody tosser nicked my lorry and needs to get sorted, bob's your uncle!"

They need to put subtitles on this stuff.

SMJO wrote:

Like it really matters what lane you start in for a CC race.

Do you know anything about the sport?

DeBron Lames wrote:

Nobody really knows what he meant. You can't understand those people. When they show interviews you hear stuff like:

"That bloody tosser nicked my lorry and needs to get sorted, bob's your uncle!"

They need to put subtitles on this stuff.

You lot get on my bleedin Bristols. Sat there on your Pat talking out your Khyber. Shut your North and South my old China

1234321 wrote:

SMJO wrote:

Like it really matters what lane you start in for a CC race.

Do you know anything about the sport?

More than you, sonny.

SMJO wrote:

More than you, sonny.

"sonny"? hahaha If only you knew.

Made my day.

As for the bit I quoted, you showed obvious lack of knowledge, "sonny".