ROHAN Smith is remaining upbeat following the Bulls’ latest financial meltdown – and reckons his positivity is rubbing off on his players.

Smith’s squad began pre-season training last week but on Monday the club entered administration for the third time in just five years.

The move led to Bradford’s membership of the RFL being revoked by the governing body, who subsequently warned the club they face the grim prospect of possible relegation from the Championship.

Despite the huge uncertainty surrounding the Bulls’ future, Smith said it was very much business as usual at the Tong training headquarters.

The head coach said: “The mood is really good. Obviously there is a bit going on behind the scenes but the players aren’t showing any signs of that when they are here training.

“I think honesty is what the players are looking for at the moment.

“When I’ve been issued with some information about what’s happening, I translate that as transparently as I can and keep the players in the loop.

“I’m in the same situation as them but I’m the go-between at times between the admin department and the football department, so I try and be honest and set the standards.

“I come in with a spring in my step every day, no matter what’s going on, and it’s the players’ role to do the same.

“It’s our job to try and improve ourselves every day and we can control that.

“That’s got nothing to do with anyone else – how you feel on a given day is up to you so we are not dwelling on the bad things.

“We are concentrating on what we can and having fun doing it.”

Smith’s men will continue training hard up until the Christmas holiday period and enjoy a festive holiday break before preparing for three pre-season friendlies in January.

Smith added: “It’s a really important time for us to get together as players and staff and find a common goal, set some standards and expectations about how we conduct ourselves each day at training.

“Since the boys came back last week, they have been outstanding. The attention to detail and also the effort they have been putting in has been fantastic.

“There is a really good vibe around training at the moment.

“In 2009, I was head coach of an Under-20s programme at Newcastle which gave me a chance to try some things that I believed in.

“I had some success through that and I guess I’ve kept all my ideas recorded since then.

“I’ve been working closely with Chev Walker and Gary Dempsey on our programme and that has been really exciting.

“For a group with six junior kids coming up, and seven or eight new players coming in from outside, to connect as well as they have in a short period of time has been outstanding.

“But it’s no surprise because that was part of the screening process with the academy kids when we decided to bring them up into the first-team squad.

“That ensured they had the character that was going to add something and, to a man, they are all getting stuck in and performing – and having fun doing it.”

Meanwhile, supporters trust BullBuilder have issued a statement outlining their concerns at the club’s current plight.

BullBuilder raises funds to support the thriving youth development system at Odsal and the group said: “Like the rest of the fanbase, BullBuilder were extremely disappointed to hear that the Bradford Bulls had entered administration.

“This season has seen remarkable efforts by the Bulls Academy players, staff, Foundation and the rugby league community in Bradford.

“The current excellence of young players coming through the ranks – the very players that BullBuilder was formed to support – shows that the future for a financially stable Bradford Bulls could be very bright indeed.

“We sincerely hope that an investor will come forward to prevent this potential from being wasted and to allow a revitalised Bradford Bulls to reap the benefit.

“We have seen how the Bulls’ players, staff and supporters have showed amazing loyalty over the past few years.

“At BullBuilder, we believe that this unity of purpose must be built upon.

“We have been through this before and our commitment remains as strong as ever and we will be endeavouring to provide support where we can.

“Our focus on supporting youth development remains and we will be watching the situation closely as it develops.

“We continue to be firmly behind the survival and success of the Bulls, and any party who can take this forward.”