Professor Hawking says European referees are less sympathetic to "ballerinas" like Suarez World-renowned physicist Professor Stephen Hawking has taken a swipe at Liverpool FC striker Luis Suarez , calling him a "ballerina", after producing a formula to guarantee England World Cup success in Brazil. The scientist, whose book A Brief History Of Time was a best-seller, analysed data from every tournament since 1966 - and the bad news is he reckons the heat, the altitude and the distance from home could all scupper Englandâs chances. But he thinks prospects for Roy Hodgsonâs men will be improved if they get a European referee for their group stage match with Uruguay and their mercurial Liverpool striker Suarez because he reckons match officials from the northern hemisphere will be less sympathetic to his on-pitch dramatics. Setting out his analysis, which was commissioned by bookmakers Paddy Power, Prof Hawking said: âEver since the dawn of civilisation, people have not been content to see events as unconnected and inexplicable. They have craved an understanding of the underlying order in the world. âThe World Cup is no different.â Prof Hawking said Englandâs chances of success could be worked out by examining âenvironmental, physiological, psychological, political and tactical variablesâ. He said: âStatistically Englandâs red kit is more successful and we should play 4-3-3 rather than 4-4-2. Psychologists in Germany found red makes teams feel more confident and can lead them to being perceived as more aggressive and dominant. Likewise, 4-3-3 is more positive so the team benefits for similar psychological reasons. âThe data shows we also need to hope for a European referee. European referees are more sympathetic to the English game and less sympathetic to ballerinas like (Luis) Suarez. âLike all animals, the England team are creatures of habit. Being closer to home reduces the negative impact of cultural differences and jetlag. We do better in temperate climates, at low altitudes with kick-off as close to the normal three oâclock as possible. âThe impact of environmental factors alone is quite staggering. A 5C rise in temperature reduces our chances of winning by 59%. We are twice as likely to win when playing below 500 metres above sea level. And our chances of winning improve by a third when kicking off at three oâclock local time.â Prof Hawking also outlined his formula for taking penalties. He said the key to success was a run-up of more than three steps and giving the ball âsome wellyâ, but âvelocity is nothing without placementâ. He said: âIf only I had whispered this in Chris Waddleâs ear before he sent the ball into orbit in 1990. Use the side foot rather than laces and you are 10% more likely to score. âThe statistics confirm the obvious. Place the ball in the top left or right hand corner for the best chance of success - 84% of penalties in those areas score. The ability of strikers to place the ball results in them being more likely to score than midfielders and defenders. âThere is no evidence that itâs advantageous to be left or right-footed but bald players and fair-haired players are more likely to score. The reason for this is unclear. This will remain one of scienceâs great mysteries.â Paddy Power said: âThe modern game is so full of statistical analysis that for us it was a no brainer to call on Professor Hawking to give England some help. Letâs hope that Roy Hodgson takes note of the findings to give England the best possible chance of getting all the way to the final. âItâs not too late for Roy to add the professor to his backroom staff. Imagine the professorâs half-time speech in the dressing should England find themselves trailing Italy.â http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/professor-stephen-hawking-says-liverpool-7182271
nearly as embarrassing as the twat in charge of this country having an opinion on sport. Formula for taking penalties quite simply really, put the ****ing ball in the back of the net ffs.
Sad cos clearly the guy knows nowt.... Back to the black holes hawking Ballerinas don't fall down, Suarez is more of a flopper than a leaper
I hope there isn't a European ref for the Uruguay match, as Rooney and Welbeck would get away with their constant dives.
Hawking believes in nonsense physics so I care even less about his ideas on a sport he doesn't have a clue about.
Refs for England v yeah yay will be from Africa, Asia or North America I also agree Rooney can't dive, he's so round he just pops back up... No young and janusaj are the utd flippers now that Nani is out
How did I know that you were going to post something like this? I'm Septic Peg! [video=youtube;s6kCSsfp_Tk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6kCSsfp_Tk[/video] Quality episode! Paraphrasing: "Your theory of a doughnut-shaped universe is fascinating, Homer. I might have to steal it." Lol.
I support England as well as Liverpool. I hope that Suarez plays very poorly or even gets sent off when he plays against us in the World Cup. I am sure I am with the majority of England fans on this board..
of course not you, you are one of my favs. That Hawking, to punish him for speaking of areas outside his expertise, I'm going to give his speak and spell a "Joe Pasquale" accent.
