Chris Lines interview

More about the Gas than the cobblers

I did. I know the bloke who let him go. Said he was too cocky and thought he knew better. Sometimes you need to go backwards to go forwards.

Lines signing for us in the conference season turned us from being one of the better sides in the league to the best side.
We went from having some decent players but not quite connecting enough to look promotion certainties to having a playmaker who split the play with his passes connecting with The overlapping fullbacks so well that with the players we had and with the width we had that lines could find in the blink of an eye sides just couldn’t cope with us switching the play so quickly from side to side the way we did once we brought him in.
That winner in the semi final at home was my favourite Chris lines moment , absolutely smashed it running in from the edge of the area , not a typical lines goal at all but a real power blaster that sent us to Wembley.
He was also arguably the best passer of the ball in the league our first season back in the league although Bradford I think it was has Bradley Dack who was younger but similar that season he’s gone on to play in the championship as lines did when he left us first time round.
Great playmakers are hard to find but they’re as important as great strikers because where as a great striker will find goals for himself a great playmaker will bring everyone in to play.
Just the sort of player Garner needs with his ideas I reckon , although I’m not suggesting Chris comes back, league 2 - conference as his age is probably about right.

Wouldn’t surprise me.
I think many Rovers fans underestimated how important he was for us after promotion back to league 1.
short memories and/ or a lack of understanding of how important it is to have a ball player in midfield at any level.
The slide and lack of creativity from benching / losing Lines was simultaneous.
I’m not saying he should have been kept on if his legs had gone / attitude wasn’t right / fell out with the manager / personal problems - whatever it was but it was paramount that we found a player who could switch the play and bring others in to play the way he could and in my opinion we still miss that central midfielder.
Hopefully when we get back playing again Garner would have had the time to find a playmaker good to do that job , because Garner clearly likes width and that lines type player will find width with his vision all day long as long as the wide players have got movement and the will to make those runs.

Don't blame him for refusing a one year deal here when he had a two year deal on the table, got to do what's right for yourself and your family at the end of the day especially at his age.

Several performances in that first season back, the one that stands out for me was York away, two games before the end. He got hold of the ball and just ran at them and then placed pass after pass from the first minute. Won 4-1 and its still the game I remember most for him. Yes the Forest Green goal was great but as midfield playmaker he was great in that York game. Mind you York were already relegated and pretty awful.
UTG!

Not everyone.
Thing with a player like lines you need a tough player in alongside him.
He was brilliant in the middle with Mansell and then Olly in our back to back promotions.