Complex sentence: Johnson was appointed as captain ahead of the new season, having previously captained the club but stripped following the arrival of Clarke Carlisle last season, after he took the captaincy in a friendly match against Nottingham Forest.
Split into simpler sentences: Johnson was appointed as captain ahead of the new season. He have previously captained the club but was stripped off of the post following the arrival of Clarke Carlisle last season, after he took the captaincy in a friendly match against Nottingham Forest.