"We're that far off being a good side," he said.
That was less than an hour after his Blue Sox team had narrowly been defeated by St Helens at the Shay in the televised quarter final of the Challenge Cup in March 2002.
And things were reasonably optimistic around the place at the time.
Linnane had taken over from Gary Mercer 12 months previously but this was definitely his team after some intensive recruitment over the winter.
The Aussie trio of David Woods, Robbie Beckett and Colum Halpenny were signed to inject some pace into the threequarters, Karle Hammond was a classy footballer who could play at either stand-off or loose forward and Jason Flowers was solid enough at fullback.
This all springs to mind because Fax had been to Workington and won in the previous round – and that was their last visit before this Sunday although neighbouring Whitehaven has become a regular destination!
That was on Sunday February 23 2002 when Linnane fielded the following side: Daryl Cardiss, Beckett, Woods, Stuart Donlan, Halpenny, Craig McDowell, Gavin Clinch, Andy Hobson, Johnny Lawless, Brett Goldspink, Jim Gannon, Shayne McMenemy and Hammond with Flowers, Chris Birchall, Jamie Bloem and Andrew Brocklehurst on the bench.
The only real absentee was Andrew Dunemann from Linnane's dream team.
He was replaced that day at Derwent Park by Cumbrian local McDowell, who along with Birchall, was on loan from Bradford.
McDowell had been a schoolboy star in the same representative team as Danny Halliwell but never kicked on at professional level.
He didn't endear himself later to the Blue Sox coaching staff by crying off at short notice from an Academy match at Odsal on the pretext that he couldn't organise a babysitter. All in all he was too laid back and was last heard of playing for the South-East Asia Bulls!
The other big disappointment amongst the newcomers was Hammond.
He kicked six goals at Workington to demonstrate another string to his bow but before too long was citing a whole variety of excuses as to why he couldn't train regularly and had drifted away from the club by midsummer.
"Clinchy" was in supreme form without Dunemann and finished with a hat-trick.
Despite Linnane's optimism it was a bit of an anti-climax when the league started.
The side surrendered a healthy half time lead in the opening day of the league programme at Warrington and struggled for consistency.
There was even the odd boo on the terracing when Salford (including a certain Damian Gibson) won at the Shay on Easter Monday although anyone who had been at the ground on the previous Saturday morning would have understood the flatfootedness – the team were out for the count in training (or more aptly in the medical room) after Good Friday's game at Leeds.