The first day with the full England squad — well, all except for a third-choice goalkeeper who reports for duty on Wednesday — and Roy Hodgson kicked things off with a rousing speech.

It was, say those who witnessed it on Tuesday, impressive stuff. ‘You’ve worked bloody hard to get here,’ said the England manager at a team meeting held just before lunch. ‘To qualify; to get in this squad. Now I want you to enjoy the tournament.’

Hodgson urged them to embrace the experience that awaits England; to embrace the host countries, not least when it comes to visiting Auschwitz and the Schindler factory in Krakow, where England will be based next month.

Part of the team: Andy Carroll looks set to start to start for England after being handed the No 9 shirt

It was a day for training together as a group for the first time but it was also the day when they received their official squad numbers and their official tournament suits. As Phil Jagielka revealed, he was not asked to squeeze into Gareth Barry’s jacket and trousers.

Reading too much into squad numbers can be dangerous. Robbie Fowler was handed the No 9 shirt at the 2002 World Cup and made just one appearance as a substitute, against Denmark.

But the allocation of numbers must have been done with half an eye on what Hodgson has in mind for Euro 2012. The defenders made sense, with Gary Cahill seemingly deployed alongside John Terry as England’s No 5 and No 6.

Andy Carroll has the No 9 shirt, which again makes sense given Danny Welbeck’s recent injury problems. That, in turn, left Wayne Rooney with the shirt Hodgson considers his best position. The No 10.

Will Ashley Young and Theo Walcott be deployed on the flanks as Nos 7 and 11 once Rooney has served his two-match suspension? Well, there is a good chance given how  little impact James Milner and Stewart Downing made in  Norway at the weekend.

It is only when it comes to central midfield that a sense of doubt creeps in. The No 4 and No 8 have gone to Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard respectively, and, while it would be foolish to rule Lampard out when he finished the season so well for Chelsea, Scott Parker, at No 17, remains favourite to start alongside Gerrard.

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