British theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking has revealed some formulae for England's success at the Brazil World Cup and has identified red uniforms, low altitude and a 4-3-3 formation as winning factors.
Hawking, who made the observation that black holes can evaporate, was asked by Irish bookmakers Paddy Power to spend a month looking at England's World Cup performances and draw some conclusions.
According to The Guardian, Hawking, in order to work out the conditions that suited England's football players best, analysed 45 World Cup matches the team had played since their last tournament win in 1966 and also analysed 204 penalties taken in penalty shoot-outs, a particular weakness for England.
Hawking further said the factors affecting England's performance could be broken down into five areas- environmental, physiological, psychological, political and tactical, adding that the team fared better when playing in stadiums less than 500 metres above sea level.
Hawking also said that temperate climates helped too, with a five degree Celsius temperature rise more than halving England's win rate, adding that on the psychological front, England has a better record wearing red than white shirts because red can make players feel more confident and appear more aggressive.
Hawking further stated that although England normally plays a 4-4-2 formation, but 4-3-3 has been slightly more successful in the past, with 58 percent of matches won, adding that bald and fair-haired players are more likely to score.