Michael Owen Johnson (born 4 July 1973) is a former
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who played as a
defender, primarily at
centre back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Defenders fall into four main categ ...
, although he also played
left-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Defenders fall into four main categ ...
when called upon. He is a current
England U18s coach and club ambassador of
Derby County. He made more than 550 appearances in
the Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...
and
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
, including more than 250 games for
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...
and more than 100 each for
Notts County
Notts County Football Club is a professional association football, football club in Nottingham, England, which competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of Football in England, English football, following promotion and relegation, promotion ...
, the club where he began his professional career, and for
Derby County. Johnson was born in
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...
, England, and played 13 times for the
Jamaica national team, for which he qualified by descent. He retired as a player at the end of the
2008–09 season, and took up the post of youth team manager with Notts County.
Playing career
Notts County
Johnson began his career at
Notts County
Notts County Football Club is a professional association football, football club in Nottingham, England, which competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of Football in England, English football, following promotion and relegation, promotion ...
, making his league début in the
1991–92 season at the age of 18, playing 5 games as County were relegated from the
First Division, the season before the
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
was founded. It would be 10 years before Johnson played in the highest league in England again.
Johnson became a first team regular in the following season, playing 37 league games in the
1992–93 season and helping County avoid a second successive relegation. The
1993–94 season was more successful for County as they finished 7th, missing out on the playoffs by three points. In contrast, the
1994–95 season was disastrous. County finished bottom and were relegated to the
Second Division (the third tier of
English league football). At the end of the season, Johnson left County, joining
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...
, who had just been promoted back to the First Division, for £230,000.
Birmingham City
Johnson played 33 league games in
his first season with Birmingham, helping the club to a safe mid-table position. The
1996–97 season saw Birmingham finish 10th, 5 points off the playoffs. The
following season saw Johnson score his first career league goal, in a 2–0 win over
Sheffield United on 22 February 1998. Johnson finished the season with 3 goals in 38 league appearances as Birmingham finished 7th, missing out on the playoffs by
goal difference
Goal difference, goal differential or points difference is a form of tiebreaker used to rank sport teams which finish on equal points in a league competition. Either "goal difference" or "points difference" is used, depending on whether matches ar ...
. Johnson scored 5 goals in 45 league appearances in the
1998–99 season and was the club's Player of the Year as Birmingham finished 4th, qualifying for the play-offs. After playing to a 1–1 draw in the
play-off semi final, Birmingham lost to
Watford
Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne.
Initially a smal ...
, the eventual play-off winners, on penalties.
The
1999–2000 season saw Birmingham again qualify for the play-offs and again fail to reach the final, losing in the
semi-finals
A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, ...
, this time to
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...
, 5–2 on aggregate. The
2000–01 season saw Birmingham come close to getting promotion and winning the
League Cup. Johnson scored twice in 39 league games as Birmingham again finished 5th, losing 4–2 on penalties after a 2–2 draw in the
play-off semi-final against
Preston. Birmingham also reached
the final of the League Cup, losing 5–4 to
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
on penalties after a 1–1 draw.
The
2001–02 season saw Birmingham finally promoted to the
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
. Johnson scored one goal in 32 appearances as Birmingham finished 5th, beating
Millwall 2–1 (on aggregate) in the
semi-final and beating
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...
on penalties in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
after a 1–1 draw. The
2002–03 season saw Birmingham finish safely mid-table in their first season back in the top division. However, Johnson found himself out of the first team picture, and only played six league games all season.
Derby County
Johnson joined Derby on a free transfer in August 2003 after eight seasons with Birmingham. Johnson quickly established himself in the heart of the Derby defence, playing 39 games and scoring once as Derby narrowly avoided relegation from the First Division. The
2004–05 season (the first as
the Championship, the new name for the old First Division), was a great success for Derby, as they finished 4th and qualified for the play-offs, though injuries to key players
Iñigo Idiakez and
Grzegorz Rasiak meant they lost in the
play-off semi-final to Preston.
The
2005–06 season saw Johnson named as captain, a role he held until 2006 when he was named club captain. It was a disappointing for Derby as a pre-season change of manager and the sale of several key players meant that the club finished 20th, with Johnson playing 31 games and scoring once. The
2006–07 season began well for Derby. After being top of the table for most of the season, the team slipped away towards the end of the season, finishing third and qualifying for the play-offs. After beating
Southampton
Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
3–2 on aggregate in the
semi-finals
A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, ...
, Derby beat
West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
1–0 in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...
. Despite missing the end of the season (including all three play-off games) through injury, Johnson made 29 league appearances, scoring once.
The
2007–08 season saw Johnson, now 34 years old, relegated to fifth-choice centre back. Consequently, in September 2007, Johnson joined
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system.
Formed in 1867 as an off ...
on an emergency one-month loan deal. He made his debut on 22 September and made an impact as Wednesday picked up their first points of the season (which was 9 games old) in a 1–0 win against
Hull City at
Hillsborough. His loan was extended for a third and final month in November 2007, with Johnson playing 13 league games for Wednesday before returning to Derby at the end of December 2007.
On 26 December 2007, Johnson returned to the Derby team to face Liverpool, coming on as a first-half substitute. His return was greeted by Derby fans with cheers and chants of "There's only one Michael Johnson". Johnson made 2 further league appearances and came on as a substitute in the cup against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough, where he was greeted by a hero's welcome from the Wednesday fans. He then left to re-join the team where he started his career, Notts County, on loan for the remainder of the season.
Return to Notts County
On 29 February 2008 Johnson returned to Notts County on loan for the remainder of the
2007–08 season, playing 12 times and scoring once. The goal, against
Rochdale
Rochdale ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. In the United Kingdom 2021 Census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wid ...
on 22 March 2008, was his first league goal in a Notts County shirt, and came some sixteen years after he had made his début for the club. At the end of the season, he agreed a one-year permanent deal with the club following the completion of his Derby contract on 1 July 2008.
Johnson played 29 games and scored 2 goals in the
2008–09 season as Notts County finished 21st. He played the final league game of his career in a 3–0 defeat to
Dagenham & Redbridge on 25 April 2009, announcing his retirement from professional football at the end of his contract in May 2009, and remained at the club taking over the role of youth team manager from the
2009–10 season.
Style of play
Johnson was a fans' favourite at all his clubs, most notably Birmingham, where he picked up the nickname "Magic" (in reference to
Earvin "Magic" Johnson, the American basketball player), for his often immense performances. During his career he was known as a quick, clever centre back. Johnson was known for his incredible leap, which scored him a number of goals for Birmingham.
Managerial and coaching career
When
Notts County
Notts County Football Club is a professional association football, football club in Nottingham, England, which competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of Football in England, English football, following promotion and relegation, promotion ...
sacked manager
Ian McParland, Johnson took over briefly as
caretaker manager
In association footballing terms, a caretaker manager or interim manager is somebody who takes temporary charge of the management of a football team, usually when the regular manager is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caret ...
alongside
Dave Kevan. During their brief spell at County, they drew with
Rotherham United and beat
Crewe Alexandra 2–0. When Notts County brought in
Hans Backe
Hans Roland "Hasse" Backe (; born 14 February 1952) is a Swedish football manager and former player who most recently led Finland's national team. Prior to this he managed the New York Red Bulls.
He has coached clubs in Sweden, Norway, Greece ...
as manager, Johnson returned to his role as youth team manager. A succession of managers came and went over a short period of time, however Johnson was dismissed when
Paul Ince
Paul Emerson Carlyle Ince (; born 21 October 1967) is an English professional football manager and former player who was most recently manager of Reading. A midfielder, Ince played professionally from 1986 to 2007, starting his career with West ...
was sacked and replaced by
Martin Allen.
Johnson took up a coaching position with
Cardiff City in July 2015, as assistant to under-21 team manager Kevin Nicholson.
He was appointed as head coach of the Guyana national football team in June 2018, In March 2019 he said he had previously had 10 or 11 job interviews. aiming to help them qualify for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
On 2 September 2019, and having resigned from his role with Guyana, Johnson was named as a coach for the
England U21s as part of
The FA's 2019–20 Elite Coach Placement Programme.
On 26 August 2021, Johnson was named as assistant of the
England U18s alongside
Paul Williams.
Controversy
A
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
, Johnson told a
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
interview in 2012 that he would not support a
Football Association
A football association, also known as a football federation, soccer federation, or soccer association, is a governing body for association football. Many of them are members of the sport's regional bodies such as UEFA and CONMEBOL and the world gov ...
(FA) campaign against
homophobia
Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who identify or are perceived as being lesbian, Gay men, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred, or ant ...
"because of my beliefs, because of the Bible that I read, in the Bible it does state that homosexuality is detestable unto the Lord."
In January 2014 the interview was referenced again when Johnson was appointed to the FA's Inclusion Advisory Board. He claimed that his opinion had shifted in the intervening period but nevertheless on 7 January 2014 he announced his intention to step down from the position.
Honours
Birmingham City
*
Football League Cup
The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England.
Orga ...
runner-up:
2000–01
References
External links
*
Johnson's profileat The Reggae Boyz Supporterz Club
Johnson's profileon BBC Derby
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Michael
1973 births
Living people
English people of Jamaican descent
Sportspeople of Jamaican descent
English Christians
Jamaican Christians
Black British sportsmen
Footballers from Nottingham
English men's footballers
Jamaican men's footballers
Men's association football central defenders
Men's association football fullbacks
Notts County F.C. players
Birmingham City F.C. players
Derby County F.C. players
Sheffield Wednesday F.C. players
English Football League players
Premier League players
Jamaica men's international footballers
2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
English football managers
Jamaican football managers
Cardiff City F.C. non-playing staff
Notts County F.C. non-playing staff
Notts County F.C. managers
Guyana national football team managers
English Football League managers
2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup managers
English expatriate football managers
Jamaican expatriate football managers
English expatriate sportspeople in Guyana
Jamaican expatriate sportspeople in Guyana
Expatriate football managers in Guyana