| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 27 April 1956 | ||
| Place of birth | Magherafelt, Northern Ireland | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Kilmarnock (manager) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| Bridgend United | |||
| Tobermore United | |||
| Coleraine | |||
| Distillery | |||
| Tobermore United | |||
| Larne | |||
| Ballymena United | |||
| -1992 | Tobermore United | ||
| Harland & Wolff Welders | |||
| 1992-1994 | Carrick Rangers | ||
| Teams managed | |||
| -1992 | Tobermore United | ||
| 1992-1994 | Carrick Rangers | ||
| 1994–2000 | Coleraine | ||
| 2000 | Moyola Park | ||
| 2001–2005 | Ballymena United | ||
| 2005-2006 | Larne | ||
| 2011– | Kilmarnock | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Kenny Shiels (born 27 April 1956 in Magherafelt[1]) is a Northern Irish former football player and current manager. He is manager of Scottish Premier League club Kilmarnock.
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Shiels spent his entire playing career in Northern Irish football, both in the Irish Football League and at lower levels. Beginning at minor club Bridgend United, he subsequently appeared for Tobermore United, Coleraine, Distillery, Tobermore United again, Larne, Ballymena United, Tobermore United for a third time, Harland & Wolff Welders and Carrick Rangers.[1]
Sheils third spell at Tobermore United was as player manager and whilst in charge at the club Shiels won the prestigious North West Senior Cup in the 1989-90 season, as well as the North West Intermediate Cup in 1988-89 and 1989-90.[1] Shiels got his first league appointment in 1992 when he took charge of Carrick Rangers, his first Irish League side. "King Kenny", as he became known at Taylors Avenue, proved a success at the club, winning the County Antrim Shield and securing a mid-table finish for the generally struggling seaside club.[2]
Shiels left Carrickfergus in December 1994 to take charge of Coleraine. The 1994-95 season ended in relegation for Coleraine after the previously unitary Irish League split into a new two division set-up, Coleraine placed in the eight team First Division below the Premier Division). The season was only three games old when Shiels, who had managed the club for only thirteen games in total, was sacked by a group of club directors. Two days later he was asked to return for a single match and then following this the board decided to endorse Shiels' management for the rest of the season.[3] Securely in charge, Shiels led the club to an 8-0 drubbing of Newry Town in the next match, the second of what proved to be a twenty match unbeaten league run.[4] With his younger brother Sammy Shiels, who had played under Kenny Shiels' management at Carrick, leading the line in scoring 25 league goals[5], Coleraine won the title, and thus promotion, a full fifteen points ahead of runners-up Ballymena United.[6] The club would also win the inaugural Irish News Cup, a competition for Irish League and League of Ireland clubs in North-West Ireland, that same season.[1]
The following season began 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.[7] 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.[7] This was to be the high watermark 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.[7] During the 1999-2000 season things came to a head when the club lost consecutive matches to Limavady United in the Gold Cup and Linfield in the league, causing Shiels to tender his resignation.[7] According to the official club website Shiels was manager of Moyola Park from January 1999 to December 2000[8], although these dates overlap in part with his time at Coleraine. Nonetheless Shiels was in charge of the club and even signed a youthful Ivan Sproule for them.[9]
Shiels next appointment was at Ballymena United, where he was confirmed in the managerial chair on 2 January 2001.[10] The club were battling relegation and ultimately Shiels was unable to prevent the club from dropping down at the end of the season.[11] Shiels responded by making a number of big name signings, including Tommy Wright, Paul Beesley and Liberian international Leon Browne, but none of them proved a success and the club finished in fifth place.[11] The club improved significantly in the 2002-03 season, although ultimately they managed only second place in the First Division, as well as the Ulster Cup and the Country Antrim Shield.[11] The league position was enough to ensure promotion, although the club had led the table until near the end when Dungannon Swifts took over at the top.[11] With Nigel Jemson added to the side Shiels' Braidmen proved a hit in the top flight, finishing sixth and qualifying for the Intertoto Cup.[11] Shiels again signed some big names, bringing in Rory Hamill, Gary Smyth, Gordon Simms and Tim McCann but the club failed to make any headway.[11] He was sacked as manager on 4 May 2005.[10]
Alongside his club jobs Shiels was also employed by the Irish Football Association to manage the Northern Ireland national under-17 football team, a role he retained until 2007 when new senior manager Nigel Worthington brought in his own men at youth levels.[12] Shiels took charge of Larne for the 2005-06 season and took the club to two cup semi-finals but his full-time job with the IFA meant that he was unable to fully devote his time to the club and so he stood down at the end of the season.[13]
Shiels joined Tranmere Rovers in May 2007 as their head of youth.[14] He left Tranmere in June 2010 to become assistant manager at Kilmarnock.[14] After Mixu Paatelainen left Kilmarnock to become the head coach of the Finland national football team, Shiels became caretaker manager.[15] His first game in charge was a goalless draw with St. Johnstone on 2 April 2011.[16] On 15 June 2011 he became manager of Kilmarnock on a permanent basis.[17] Sheils helped Kilmarnock achieve their first win over SPL champions Rangers in 17 years on sunday the 27 November 2011 in a 1-0 victory at Rugby Park, with the goal coming from Manuel Pascali in the 80th minute.[18]
Shiels is the father of Northern Ireland international player Dean Shiels.[19] His younger brother Dave was killed during the Troubles in Northern Ireland.[20] A Protestant civilian, he was killed by the Provisional IRA in Maghera where he was part of a roadworks crew.[21]
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