It’s not just a big weekend for interim boss Lee Carsley, but also for his replacement in the England set-up.
As Carsley prepares the senior squad for the Nations League games against Ireland and Finland, Ben Futcher has been getting his sizeable feet under the table as temporary boss of the Under-21s squad, who face Northern Ireland tonight (Friday) and Austria on Monday.
The 43-year-old former lower-league defender has stepped up from the Under-20s, having only landed that role late last year. Futcher was something of a journeyman defender, playing for the likes of Oldham, Lincoln, Boston, Grimsby, Peterborough and Bury.
At 6ft 7in tall, he was – quite literally – a huge threat at attacking set-pieces, once scoring 11 goals in one season for Lincoln, including one in the Division Three (now League Two) play-off final against Bournemouth in Cardiff.
While not a household name, Futcher comes from a footballing family. He has a famous cousin in former Liverpool and England midfielder Danny Murphy, who counts Futcher’s late father, Paul, as one of his biggest inspirations as a youngster.
Paul, also a centre-half, became England’s most expensive defender when he joined Manchester City for £350,000 in 1978. Poignantly given his son’s new role, he played for England U21s alongside the likes of Glenn Hoddle and Peter Reid. Paul’s twin brother, Ron, who also played for Man City, and another sibling, Graham, were also footballers.
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Writing for the Daily Mail in 2023, Murphy recalled: “I was starting my own career as a Crewe player when he [Paul] was at Grimsby and I remember being taken by another uncle, Steve, to watch him play. One game at Tranmere stood out in particular because of the running battle he had with John Aldridge.”
Murphy added: “I remember as a kid cheekily telling them I’d be a better footballer than they were and Paul rubbing my head as if to say, ‘not likely’. After I played for England, I reminded him of that and he replied, ‘ah, but you’ll never be England’s most-expensive midfielder.’ I had to give him that.
“His son, my cousin, Ben, also played professionally. That side of the family had the height!”
Paul sadly died in 2016 aged 60. By then, Ben had retired from playing and was embarking on a career in coaching. After coaching roles with Bury, Swindon and Mansfield, he joined the FA in 2019.
Speaking about his promotion, Futcher said: “Personally, it will obviously be a huge honour to lead out the Under-21s for the first time.
“It’s great to see Lee making the step up to the senior side after being so successful with the under-21s. We’re not going to try and reinvent things and it will be very much a case of trying to continue the work that Lee and his staff have done with this age group.”
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