KILMARNOCK will part company with manager Kenny Shiels later this week.

Michael Johnston, the club's chairman, revealed on Saturday that Shiels' situation was "under review" after he failed to meet contractual obligations relating to both performance targets and his conduct in media interviews, and those shortcomings combined will cost him his job.

The Northern Irishman, who has been in charge at Kilmarnock for two years after serving for a year as assistant to Mixu Paatelainen, is expected to have his exit confirmed at a meeting early this week.

Shiels was given a four-match ban, two of which are suspended until the end of next season, at Hampden on Thursday for comments made in a radio interview that suggested Celtic had exerted undue influence on the Scottish Football Association and their disciplinary procedures. It was the latest of several appearances in front of the governing body's judicial panel and led to the club also facing a charge for failing to ensure their manager adhered to SFA protocols. Kilmarnock will discover what sanction they face for that on June 21, although there is a chance the SFA may treat them more leniently if Shiels is no longer their manager by that point.

The team's declining league form is also thought to be a factor in Shiels' imminent dismissal. Kilmarnock finished fifth in season 2010/11, when Shiels succeeded Paatelainen in the April of the campaign; seventh the following year, when they also won the League Cup for the first time in the club's history; and then ninth in the season just finished, when they recorded their worst set of home results for 30 years. The club still had an away record bettered only by Celtic and Motherwell.

That placing – a result of winning only one of their last seven games– fell short of Shiels' contractual obligation to lead the team to a top-eight finish. It is thought internal issues relating to the handling of senior players in the squad may also have influenced the decision. Jimmy Nicholl, the assistant manager, is not thought to be affected by Shiels' impending removal and could come into consideration when the search begins for his replacement.

Tension between Shiels, who has a year left on his contract, and his chairman came to a head after their joint appearance at Hampden last week, something that enraged Johnston. "We are the oldest professional club in Scotland and are extremely unhappy to have this against our name," he said at the time. "We now need to take stock of the findings and sit down with Mr Shiels to discuss the best way forward."