England hanging by a thread

Even the vuvuzelas were no match for Englands traveling army of soccer fans,no matter what their mood....

Even the vuvuzelas were no match for Englands traveling army of soccer fans,no matter what their mood. By Friday,the English had arrived here at the bottom of the continent by the tens of thousands. They were full of spirit and spirits,transforming this Group C game against Algeria into the equivalent of a home match with their banners,drums and traditional songs that overwhelmed the now-familiar drone that has become the soundtrack at this South African World Cup.

It was all in the hope of getting some reassurance from their team,but all the England faithful got was a scoreless draw. As Englands biggest stars Wayne Rooney,Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard kept hammering away without effect or precision,the tone gradually turned bitter. By the end,this national festival by the sea had turned into a protest as the boos grew louder at Green Point Stadium.

Jeered by fans

They provided accompaniment as the English players filed into the tunnel and into a tight corner with Rooney glowering into a television camera lens on his way out and saying,Nice to see your own fans booing you.

Prohibitive favorites to win the group,England has tied the United States and Algeria,scoring just one goal in the process. Fabio Capellos team must now beat Slovenia,the improbable group leader,in the final game on Wednesday to be certain of qualifying for the second round. Another tie might be enough,but that would be far from a sure thing and force England to depend on the result of the US-Algeria match.

It was hardly what was expected when Capello,one of Europes most respected coaches,brought order to the English team in qualifying play.

Wednesday I hope to see the England team; this is not the England that I know, Capello said. I hope when we play the next game,we forget to play with fear and without confidence. Its incredible,the mistakes of the players when they cant control the ball or miss easy passes. This is incredible given the level of the England players.

Capello attempted to change the vibe. After talking about the importance of giving athletes second chances during the week,he decided that one World Cup howler was enough from Robert Green. Instead,Capello called on David James,a veteran about to turn 40 who is nicknamed Calamity James for his own history of gaffes in goal. James at least held firm,handling several menacing crosses and free kicks.

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But soccer is a game of expectations as well as goals,and while neither team scored and Algeria has yet to score at all in South Africa,the Algerians were in a celebratory postmatch mood.

Its like a victory for us, the Algerian midfielder Ryad Boudebouz said. England is a contender for the title. We showed we can compete on equal terms with them,which means we can compete on equal terms with the best.

Algeria had its own goalkeeping problems in its 1-0 loss to Slovenia in the opening game,with Faouzi Chaouchi mishandling a shot from Robert Koren that most goalkeepers at this level would have stopped. Coach Rabah Saadanes solution was to call on Raïs MBolhi,who had never started an international game for Algeria.

MBolhi,who plays for the Bulgarian club Slavia Sofia,was terrific after some opening jitters and saved Englands best chance by diving to his left in the 33rd minute to get his fingertips on a close-range shot from Lampard.

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But he had plenty of help from defenders like Nadir Belhadj and Madjid Bougherra and holding midfielder Medhi Lacen. Although the English seemed fresher and more dangerous down the stretch,the Algerians controlled the ball with style for much of the match,making the English players look predictable in comparison.

Roo fails to write future

Rooney,a force of nature up front for Manchester United,has been ineffective in South Africa. With his growing beard and wounded expression,he is beginning to bear more of a resemblance to the bearded reject he plays for part of the Nike Write the Future commercial than the all-conquering man beating up on Roger Federer in high-speed table tennis.

Rooney didnt play like Rooney,but its not just his problem, Capello said.

At least England has one more chance to play like the England that Capello knows. Until then,the boos will be ringing in their ears. Maybe the vuvuzelas werent so bad after all.