Since his arrival in January, the former Norway Under-21s manager has faced injury setbacks, a demanding fixture list, and the pressure of a relegation battle.
Despite the challenges, his belief in the team remains unwavering.
Reflecting on his time so far in the job, Smerud acknowledges the difficulties but also sees room for optimism.
He said: “We can control some things, and others we cannot, of course, we need to do our bit.
“We’ve tried, and sometimes it hasn’t quite worked, but we have a few more chances, so we’ll go for them.”
His message to both his players and the fans is clear: progress is being made, and with time, hard work, and belief, results will come.
One of the biggest obstacles Smerud has faced since taking charge has been injuries, which have limited his ability to work with a full squad in training.
“The most challenging thing has been we had a lot of injuries in this period, which makes it more difficult to get to work on developing.
“I look forward to putting all the pieces together and getting some good training sessions with enough people so we can get into match intensity in training as well.
“We need that, and we look forward to it,” he said.
