Collins has seen his side slump since winning the CIS Cup

BBC Scotland understands that some senior players held a meeting with chairman Rod Petrie to discuss a growing rift with the management team.

However, Collins insists there is no problem at the Easter Road club.

"Everything in the dressing room is fine and the spirit is good," he told the Edinburgh Evening News. "I don't worry about these stories."

All Petrie would say was: "What goes on in the dressing room stays in the dressing room.

"The club is very focused on a cup semi-final on Sunday and that is everyone at the club from the manager, playing staff and everyone behind the scenes.

"That is the most important thing at the moment and nothing will be allowed to get in the way of our preparations for that."

Since hammering Kilmarnock 5-1 in the CIS Insurance Cup final, Hibs have picked up just one point from three league matches.

And winger Ivan Sproule told the Scotsman: "Everyone is pulling in the one way - that's the important thing."

"There are a lot of frustrated people because our league form has been poor."

The key is not to allow these things to distract us from where we want to be John Collins

Collins denied any knowledge of a meeting between Petrie and players and told the Edinburgh Evening News: "It's all positive as far as I'm concerned.

"When we came in I think we were eighth in the league and now we're sixth and also have a cup in the bag.

"We're in a big-semi final at the weekend, we've had five young players make their debuts and we now have �2m in the bank (from the sale of Kevin Thomson to Rangers).

"We've achieved all this against the backdrop of losing our top scorer Chris Killen to injury in January so it's a positive story.

"The key is not to allow these things to distract us from where we want to be."

There were reports of a heated exchange between players and Collins after the 1-0 defeat at Dunfermline on Saturday.

"After defeats things have to be said," said Collins, who began his first management job in late October.

"Sometimes players do not like what is said, but they get the chance to air their own views.

"Then it is back to business - simple as that.

"I'm always frank after matches about how we have performed and what we've needed to do to get the success we have."