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