After securing Van Gaal, Miller found himself with unexpected downtime, eventually retreating to California for a brief hiatus. Meanwhile, his sister Fiona was finishing her senior year, juggling her final semester's demands and an intense internship at JPMorgan Chase. Despite Miller's offers to support her, Fiona was fiercely independent, asserting, "You have to do things on your own." Miller admired her tenacity; she'd earned accolades at JPMorgan and was on track to graduate with high honors, positioning herself for a promising career in finance.
Back in England, however, Manchester City's performance was far from promising. After a disappointing string of matches that included heavy losses to Arsenal and Chelsea, the club hovered just above the relegation zone. Frustrated, Miller considered dismissing the head coach, Kevin Keegan, and allowing Van Gaal to take over sooner. But with Van Gaal currently unavailable, Miller had no choice but to keep Keegan for the season's remainder, hoping City could cling to its Premier League spot.
As the season wore on, City's performance oscillated wildly, culminating in a shocking home loss to relegation-battling West Ham. Miller's frustration reached a boiling point; yet, as the last rounds played out, Manchester City stabilized, finishing in ninth place—hardly a triumph, but enough to avoid relegation. Kevin Keegan's departure followed quickly, and on May 14, Manchester City appointed the renowned Dutch manager Van Gaal as head coach, making headlines across Europe.
At the press conference, Van Gaal displayed his trademark intensity. When Guardian reporter David Jones implied that Van Gaal's decision to join City was a step down, Van Gaal's fierce response set the tone for a new era. "If you belittle Manchester City, you belittle me," he fired back, making it clear that his allegiance to the club was unwavering. Van Gaal's statement, "From now on, Manchester City will bear the mark of Van Gaal," was splashed across the press, signaling a fresh chapter for the club.
While Van Gaal's arrival stirred excitement, Miller continued making strategic moves behind the scenes. He knew that physical fitness was crucial to City's transformation, so he approached Antonio Pintus, a world-class fitness coach with an impressive resume at Real Madrid and Inter Milan. Offering him a significant raise, Miller successfully poached Pintus from Chelsea, reinforcing Manchester City's training staff and setting the stage for a physically formidable team.
With a strengthened coaching team led by Van Gaal and supported by Pintus, Manchester City's new season held promise. Now, the only question was how far this revamped team could go in the upcoming season.