O'Neill has never reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup as a manager before, a strange anomaly for a manager who has won the League Cup twice with Leicester and the Scottish Cup on three occasions with Celtic.
And although Stockport boast a two-times FA Cup winner in manager Gary Ablett - the first man to win the trophy with both Liverpool and Everton - home advantage and a much superior league placing in the football pyramid, Smith is not giving up hope of a shock.
It's the first time the FA has appointed an English manager with international experience.
After the Hammers sealed a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals, manager Avram Grant said the German midfielder had shown no ill effects in what was his first game since suffering a thigh injury while playing for his country in August.
Grant's side have been charged by the FA several times this season but the Chelsea manager feels it is not justified.
He made his name as a manager at Ipswich, winning the FA Cup in 1978 and the Uefa Cup in 1981.
But Hodgson hinted the FA could do worse than consider employing a manager or a coach who has had success with a team that did not have the resources of those top clubs.
The FA had said in August that the next national manager would be English.
While fans debate England's poor showing in South Africa and the FA considers Fabio Capello's future as England manager, MPs are demanding major changes in the way in which football is run in this country.
O'Neill was hoping to reach for his first FA Cup final in 40 years as a player and manager but instead it will be Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti, in his first season in the English game, who will lead his side out against Tottenham or Portsmouth on 15 May.
Manager Andy Jones vividly remembers the moment when their FA Cup dream became a reality and they were drawn out of the hat against the League One side.
Chelsea, who won the FA Cup at the weekend, were looking for a permanent manager for the start of next season -- and Ancelotti has been signed on a three-year deal to the west-London club.
England manager Steve McClaren has admitted he was unhappy with the FA's decision to give Rooney a three-match ban.
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Liverpool's American owners were widely criticized for not taking stronger action after the Suarez-Evra incident, and for allowing former team manager Kenny Dalglish to publicly defend his player while the FA was still investigating and after the verdict was announced.
However, Whelan, who made 493 appearances for the Reds and captained them in their 1989 FA Cup final triumph, suggested the club could turn to a former manager as a short-term solution.
In the lead-up to Stoke's FA Cup final appearance last May, the Gillingham chairman described his former manager as the most "evil and despicable person I have ever worked with".
Dalglish is a legendary Liverpool player, still hailed as "King Kenny" by many fans, who then moved into the manager's seat and won three league titles and two FA Cups in the late 1980s.
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Former Chelsea midfielder Roberto Di Matteo was named as the club'sinterim manager and will take charge of the team in Tuesday's FA Cup round-of-32 replay at Birmingham City.
Chelsea add the FA Cup to the League Cup, which they won earlier this season, and manager Jose Mourinho did his job prospects no harm by securing the one domestic trophy that was missing in his collection.
Despite the FA's reservations, some aspects of the plan have won the support of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.
If the FA decides to investigate Ferguson's remarks further, it will write to the United manager asking him to explain them.
Darren Ferguson - in his first home match since taking over as Preston manager - harboured hopes of starting his reign by producing a shock against the FA Cup holders.
Arguably, Ferguson's finest moment in his 26-year stint as manager of United came in 1999 when his side won the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Champions League.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says there is a small chance of him playing against Burnley in the FA Cup on Sunday.
Dalglish was previously Liverpool manager between 1985 and 1991, guiding the club to three league titles and two English FA Cup wins.
The Tractor Boys had been thrashed 7-0 by Chelsea in the FA Cup on Sunday, lie 19th in the Championship and had caretaker boss Ian McParland in charge after sacking manager Roy Keane last Friday.
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