Richard Johnson no longer Middlesex head coach as he pays the price for a poor start to the County and Blast.
Richard Johnson, the first-team coach, has departed Middlesex after the squad finished sixth in Division Two with two victories in their first seven County Championship games. Additionally, they have only triumphed in one of the six Vitality T20 Blast matches.
After playing more than 200 games for the squad, Johnson, a former Middlesex mainstay, returned as assistant coach in 2009 and subsequently took over as first-team coach in 2022, replacing Stuart Law. He worked as a coach at Surrey for three seasons in between.
In his first season as manager, Johnson managed to get Middlesex promoted back to Division One of the Championship, but in 2023, they were down once more. They almost missed finishing in the top two last year, as Yorkshire and Sussex beat them to advance.
Under Johnson’s leadership, the team had little success in white-ball tournaments and did not make it to the Blast or One-Day Cup knockout stages.
Middlesex also had to cope with a number of off-field problems during his tenure, such as being placed under special measures by the ECB for financial mismanagement and battling a lawsuit against former CEO Richard Goatley.
“Jono has put his heart and soul into the role since he returned to the club in 2022, and we thank him for all his hard work during his time as first-team coach,” Alan Coleman, Middlesex’s director of cricket, said. “Ultimately cricket is a performance business, and we do not feel that the results this season have matched the expectations that we have for the team at our disposal.
“Jono is due a lot of credit for leading the team through the most difficult off-field period that we have had and has embraced the challenge of working within the financial constraints placed upon the club during his time as first-team coach. We do though have high expectations for the playing group that has been assembled during this time, and we do feel that the time is right for a change to try and maximise the talent and performances from our squad.
“Jono is a modern Middlesex cricketing great and has served the club exceptionally well during his time as a player, assistant coach and first-team coach. We thank him for all that he has done for the club over many years.”