Smith ensures he has full control

Smith, who runs Rhinos Sports sportswear firm, took over day-to-day running of the club at the end of last month after owner Paul Ragan opted to concentrate on his other club Cardiff Devils while retaining a “silent equity stake” in the Steelers.

Some supporters were worried this would mean Smith would not have overall say in how the club was run but, over the weekend, the Sheffield-based businessman, has acquired a 51 per cent stake in the club.

Ragan’s decision to concentrate on Cardiff came just over a week after it was revealed that Rink Corp – the operating company for both clubs – had gone into voluntary liquidation.

“At 50-50, I had a legal agreement with Paul that I would have full control and was working under that agreement,” said Smith.

“It was, however, apparent that some supporters had some concerns that this wasn’t the case

“I spoke with Paul about me taking the majority shareholding and he was more than happy with that.

“Make no mistake – I am the boss, I’m in full control and I’m making the decisions alongside my management team.”