Lampard, Barry, Rooney and more heartbreaking pre-tournament England injuries
If there is one thing that can rival penalties in the predictable tales of woe that seem to dog England, it's pre-tournament injuries. Less than two weeks before England's first group game at Euro 2012, one of our most impressive midfielders last season was ruled out of the tournament through injury, then days later another key player in the middle suffered the same fate.
Gareth Barry has been instrumental for Premier League winners Man City and would have featured under Hodgson in Poland and Ukraine, but was forced off with a stomach injury against Norway on Saturday evening. Then Frank Lampard pulled up in training with a thigh injury and was forced to drop out of what could have been his last major tournament.
Here, we take a look back at six occasions when a pre-tournament injury has cursed one of England's senior players and how the team responded...
World Cup 1986 - Bryan Robson dislocates shoulder
Robbo's misfortune ahead of major tournaments began in 1986, when he dislocated a shoulder in one of England's pre-tournament warm-up fixtures. The Three Lions captain recovered for an opening tournament defeat against Portugal, in Mexico's sweltering heat, but his participation was cut short four minutes into England's second group game, a 0-0 draw with Morocco. Robson aggravated his shoulder injury and England reverted to a midfield of Peter Reid and Steve Hodge, recovering from their poor first two matches to reach the quarter-finals, where the Three Lions were infamously dispatched by Maradona's so-called 'Hand of God'.
World Cup 1990 - Bryan Robson's achilles and toe
There was even more heartache for England's leader four years later. Robbo was nursing minor achilles and toe problems heading into the tournament but, as he did in Mexico four years earlier, managed to come through the first group fixture unscathed. Man United's midfield battler, who'd scored in the FA Cup final a month earlier, pulled up against the Netherlands an hour into England's next game, however, and was replaced by David Platt. Robson didn't feature again, but Platt stepped up in spectacular style, scoring a last gasp second round winner and another in the last eight victory over Cameroon. England were eventually knocked out in heartbreaking fashion by West Germany, losing on penalties in the last four.
World Cup 2002 - David Beckham breaks metatarsal bone
Beckham snapped the second metatarsal in his right foot when a nasty lunge from Deportivo La Coruna's Aldo Duscher in the Champions League ended his campaign for Man United. For the man whose stunning last gasp free-kick over Greece sealed qualification, it cast any hopes of leading England at a World Cup into serious doubt. Against the odds, however, Becks recovered to make his comeback in time for England's first group game with Sweden. The Three Lions progressed from Group F and Beckham bagged the winning penalty in the second match against Argentina, four years after being sent off against the same opponents. But there was something lacking from Beckham and he wasn't the same player who'd run himself into the ground, battling courageously when Greece threatened to spoil England's hopes of qualification. Eventually, England lost out to Brazil in the last eight despite taking a 1-0 lead, when Beckham - either worried about injury or still lacking full fitness - pulled out of a challenge on the half way line that led to the Samba Boys' equaliser.
World Cup 2002 - Gary Neville breaks metatarsal bone
David Beckham's mood when recovering from injury was dampened somewhat when his Man United team-mate, England's first choice right-back Gary Neville, was ruled out for the finals with an identical injury. Neville slid in to challenge Leverkusen's Ze Roberto during United's Champions League semi-final tie at Old Trafford, breaking a metatarsal in his left foot. The injury meant Sven-Goran Eriksson was forced to utilise Danny Mills as England's right full-back.
World Cup 2006 - Wayne Rooney breaks metatarsal bone
Three games before the end of the 2005/06 Premier League campaign, Wayne Rooney broke a metatarsal bone in his right foot following an innocuous looking challenge with Chelsea's Ricardo Carvalho, at Stamford Bridge. Carvalho and co. sealed the Premier League title that same afternoon, while Rooney faced up to missing his first ever World Cup. After being rushed back to fitness, Rooney made his next appearance in England's final group game with Sweden, but struggled to match his best form and, to make matters worse, was dismissed for a stamp in the quarter-final on that same man, Ricardo Carvalho. England lost on penalties.
World Cup 2006 - Michael Owen breaks metatarsal bone
Another striker struggling for fitness ahead of the finals in Germany, Owen broke his metatarsal bone - yes, another bloomin' metatarsal bone - when returning from a groin injury, as a second half substitute for Newcastle in December 2005. He made just one more Magpies appearance that season in April, but seemed to be finding his feet again in England's pre-tournament friendlies. Owen started the Three Lions' first two group stage encounters, but was forced off four minutes into the third when he jarred his knee attempting to turn, unopposed. It proved to be his last international appearance at a major tournament.
Which is the bigger blow for England: Frank Lampard or Gareth Barry's injury? Let us know what you think below...