Today is the day England try to save their World Cup from whimpering into oblivion.

It shouldn’t have been this way. According to the script – well, the hype at least – the Three Lions should have roared into the knockout stages with ease by now.

But England need a win against Slovenia to qualify without worrying about the result of the USA vs Algeria match.

Fans around Dorset have been preparing for the 3pm game – and trying to persuade their bosses to let them watch.

If the Bournemouth folk we spoke to are anything to go by, we’re in for a nervy afternoon. Sandy Guscott will be showing the game in her Coffee Republic shop in Old Christchurch Road.

She said: “It will be hard but I think they will do it. It will still be a bad game but they should get one goal and that will be enough.”

David Cotton, holidaying in Bournemouth, agreed: “They will just do it. It will be nothing special and after 90 minutes they will just about scrape it.”

Student James Thompson, from Poole, added: “It can’t get much worse than it was the other night. It probably won’t be pretty but if we can get through the Slovenia game then we can start afresh.”

Geoffrey Lindley, who works at GE Bridge in Old Christchurch Road, where an England-supporting skeleton hangs in the window, said: “The main thing is they’re not out of it yet and they should still qualify by the back door.”

But not everyone was predicting success.

Violet Lewis, of The Triangle, said: “I don’t think they’re going to do it after the last match.

“I will still be watching it to see how they go, but I think Brazil will win it overall.”

And if your ears are sensitive, you might want to avoid Beales for the day.

The retailer has ordered 5,000 plastic versions of South Africa’s famous vuvuzela in time for the Slovenia v England match.

“We would like to sell out by 3pm today,” quipped chief executive Tony Brown.