WOLVES chief executive Andy Gatcliffe has reiterated that Tony Smith has the full backing of the board in his bid to build a successful team.

The first sign that restructuring efforts were underway in earnest came on Monday, as England centre Martin Gleeson was offloaded to Wigan Warriors.

Wolves received a six-figure fee for Gleeson, who they signed from St Helens for a club record £200,000 in 2004, and also brought in full back Richie Mathers after he was released from his Warriors contract.

The decision to sell Gleeson to his hometown club initially came as a shock to many observers but Gatcliffe trusts Smith to make the tough decisions required to make Warrington a success.

He said: "We brought Tony Smith in to do a job and he has the full support of the board in whatever he decides to do.

"That will remain the same going forward. We trust Tony's judgement.

"Martin had felt somewhat unsettled for a period of time and had looked at a number of clubs, mainly in Australia, so we had to let him go if his heart was not here.

"Tony is clear that he only wants players who want to play for this club. That's very important."