Source: Daily_Mail
EXCLUSIVE: Here's what they've done to the Hiddink Guuseum...
The blue sign welcoming you to Varsseveld is written in Korean. This might strike you as more than a little strange - after all, the village is nestled in Gelderland, a southern region of Holland. [LNB]But Varsseveld, just north of the German border and home to 6,000 people, has one claim to fame. It is the birthplace of Guus Hiddink, the 62-year-old coach who took South Korea to the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup and is to become the interim manager of Chelsea[LNB]. [LNB]Welcome to Guus-town... [LNB][LNB] Former glory: The former museum (Guuseum) shine to local hero Guus Hiddink before it was replaced by the ruins of rubble...[LNB]If it was not for Hiddink, Varsseveld would be your average Dutch village. It is completely flat, with two churches, a school and a smattering of small shops at its centre, a couple of windmills on the outskirts and more than a few bicycles. Kings Road it is not.[LNB]Yet, remarkably, it was home to a world first, the Guuseum, a collection of Guus-themed memorabilia showcased by the coach's brother, Hans, and local restaurateur Jacques Westerhoff after South Korea's success in 2002. [LNB]It was immensely popular, by all accounts. The Koreans flocked here in droves, eager to see the house where Hiddink was born in November 1946 and the ground where he first played competitive football. [LNB]But you'll be disappointed if you come to Varsseveld expecting to load your suitcase with Guus magnets, Guus key rings and Guus-themed stationery, perhaps stopping for a quick flick through one of the 16 biographies written about Hiddink after his World Cup success, or to have your photo taken with the cardboard cut-out of the great man himself.[LNB] I'm a winner: So bring me the title, Hiddink warns his new Chelsea players [LNB]Like father like son: There's only two Frank Lampards [LNB]Lampard: Chelsea must improve under Hiddink or we'll finish outside the top four [LNB]CHELSEA FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB[LNB] [LNB]All that remains of the Guuseum is rubble. It closed in 2005 when the Koreans lost interest and Hiddink moved on to new challenges, first with the Australia national team and PSV Eindhoven and then Russia. How dare they close something so vital to the international football community?[LNB]Yet all is not lost. You can still see the semi-detached house with the painted shutters where Hiddink and his five brothers grew up. Guus, the third eldest son of Gerrit, a teacher, and Jo, used to play football in the garden of the family home, where the Hiddinks lived until Guus was 12. It says so on the sign outside. [LNB]Hiddink's father was part of the Resistance during the Second World War and helped Jews escape from occupied Holland. He also received a certificate from President Eisenhower, thanking him for his help in smuggling Allied pilots out of the country. [LNB]The award is reprinted in Guus Hiddink's autobiography, Dit Is Mign Weereld (This is My World), which can be purchased from a Varsseveld bookshop.[LNB] What's happened to the Guuseum? Sportsmail's Laura Williamson stands disappointment outside what used to be the once-famous Guuseum[LNB] [LNB]The village is the home of amateur side SC Varsseveld, whose pitch is the other side of the railway line, less than a mile from Hiddink's first home. [LNB]The young Guus, a midfield player, started his career there before joining Dutch side De Graafschap in 1967. Four of his brothers - Wim, Rene, Karel and Arnold - also played there and his father represented Varsseveld until he was 43, then refereed into his 80s. [LNB]Joop Knikkink, an SC Varsseveld referee, is keen to show me around the new clubhouse, which Guus Hiddink opened in 2007, accompanied by his brothers and parents. [LNB]There are tokens from Blackburn, Celtic, Rangers and Nottingham Forest in the trophy cabinet, but nothing from Chelsea. Maybe Hiddink will arrange a friendly if he continues in the job beyond May. [LNB]You get the impression we are the latest in a long line of tourists to traipse around the ground and smile and nod at the pictures of Hiddink as a youngster.[LNB] Green grass of home: Local referee Joop Knikkink reflects on Guus Hiddink with great pride at the Dutchman's hometown club SC Varsseveld [LNB] [LNB]There is pride in Knikkink's voice when he says: 'Guus is a good, good coach.' Hiddink may have sold his home here, preferring the bright lights of Eindhoven and Amsterdam, but most people in Varsseveld are proud to speak about the local boy made good. [LNB]His brother Hans, who runs a marketing company, still lives here and his children, Michel and Mark, live in Doetichem, less than 10 miles to the west. [LNB]When I asked for a telephone directory in Varsseveld library, the librarian smiled and turned straight to the page with surnames beginning with 'H'. She obviously saw me coming. [LNB]Yet some people in the village have had enough of people asking about 'Lucky Guus' and could not care less about the furore his name has sparked in a certain part of west London. [LNB] Man on a mission: Will Chelsea fans flock to Hiddink's hometown if he resurrects their season?[LNB] 'We're Guus Hiddink-ed out,' said the female manager of Die Ploeg, a restaurant in the village centre that sponsors SC Varsseveld. [LNB]'First we had the South Koreans, then the Australians, then the Russians and now you English will be turning up on our doorstep.' [LNB]We had been told Die Ploeg had memorabilia from the Guuseum but we were to be disappointed again. All traces of Hiddink vanished when the restaurant was re-decorated six months ago. [LNB]But surely the deluge of tourists, bearing fistfuls of euros and eager for a snap of anything connected with Guus, must have been good for business? [LNB]'Pah, no,' said the manager. [LNB]'The South Koreans? They brought their own bottles of water and sat in the corner drinking them. The Russians were better. They would buy a whole bottle of vodka.' [LNB]But what about the English? [LNB]Will Blues fans be flocking to Varsseveld in their thousands if Hiddink can resurrect Chelsea's season or, somehow, bring Champions League glory to Stamford Bridge? [LNB]They should be starting a 'Bring back the Guuseum' campaign. [LNB]Surely Roman Abramovich has the money to fund the return of a once-popular football gem.[LNB] I'm a winner: So bring me the title, Hiddink warns his new Chelsea players [LNB]Like father like son: There's only two Frank Lampards [LNB]Lampard: Chelsea must improve under Hiddink or we'll finish outside the top four [LNB]CHELSEA FC NEWS FROM ACROSS THE WEB[LNB] [LNB] [LNB]
