Kenny Shiels in May 2007, as their head of youth. He left Tranmere in June 2010 to become assistant manager at Kilmarnock, following his three-year stint at the club. After Mixu Paatelainen left Kilmarnock to become manager of the Finland national football team, Shiels became caretaker manager. His first game in charge was a goalless draw with St Johnstone on 2 April 2011. On 15 June 2011, he became manager of Kilmarnock on a permanent basis and upon being manager, he soon added Jimmy Nicholl as his assistant manager, who just quit Cowdenbeath. He helped Kilmarnock achieve their first home win against
Kenny Shiels with the Ulster Cup and Coleraine underlined their credentials by winning this competition. They carried their form into the league, with Shiels' men sitting top of the league after eight matches. The club remained in the hunt for the league title until the end of the season when they were pipped for the honours by Crusaders. This was to be the high-water mark of Shiels' time at Coleraine as the club began to slip back into a more mid-table position, despite some comparatively heavy investment in playing staff. During the 1999–2000 season, things came to a head when the club