Among his other numerous attributes, Stephen Hawking is also apparently a big soccer fan.
In this ad for Irish bookmaker Paddy Power, Hawking notes that as a theoretical physicist, he is "marginally more qualified to make predictions than Paul the Octopus." Hawking then employs general logistic regression modeling to offer the best conditions for an England World Cup win: England should use a 4-3-3 formation, hope for a European referee and a 3:00 kick-off. Hawking acknowledges, though, that when it comes to penalty kicks, "We couldn't hit a cow's arse with a banjo."
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Will England heed Hawking's advice? Perhaps the team should. Paddy Power places England's odds of winning the World Cup at 28:1. England last won the prize in 1966.