Dean Shiels Cup Final, which Kilmarnock won after beating Celtic 1–0. Shiels was shortlisted for the SPFA Players' Player of the Year award, along with Jon Daly, Steven Davis and Charlie Mulgrew. Shiels rejected the offer of a new contract with Kilmarnock and left the club at the end of the season. Shiels signed for Rangers on 31 July 2012. Kilmarnock's chairman Michael Johnson believes Rangers had underestimate Kilmarnock to get Shiels. Shiels vowed to make the club win a trophy this season and revealed he turned down clubs around Europe, which he could even play in the Champions League; instead, preferring
Kenny Shiels at the end of the season. 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. 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. Shiels joined Tranmere Rovers