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Guus Hiddink says goodbye to English football this weekend, and Early Doors for one is glad to have made his acquaintance (of sorts).

As a manager, his record speaks for itself - just one defeat in 21 games since arriving at Stamford Bridge, taking what was rapidly turning into a comedy club to the semi-final of the Champions League, an FA Cup final and third place in the Premier League.

As a man, he may not have the in-your-face charisma of Jose Mourinho, but neither does he have a tempestuous, volatile or sulky side to him, unlike his pre-pre-predecessor.

He has managed to stay on the right side of both the press and Chelsea fans, who have tried everything short of kidnapping the poor bloke in a bid to get him to break his promise to the Russian Federation and stay in West London.

In short, he leaves these shores with his head held high, his reputation enhanced and his dignity and integrity intact.

And not many have managed that.

John Terry has promised Hiddink a fitting send-off in Saturday's FA Cup final, but there must be fears the 'showpiece' match at Wembley will not do the Dutchman justice, even if Chelsea go on to beat Everton and lift the Cup.

Dress it up how you like, but there simply isn't as much interest in this year's FA Cup final as there used to be, especially in the aftermath of Wednesday's biggest, most glamorous game of all time between Manchester United and Barcelona.

The spotlight on the game in Rome was so glaringly intense, the media coverage so totally saturated, that not even a bare-knuckle barn brawl between Silvio Berlusconi and the Queen broadcast live on the BBC would be able to outshine it.

Chelsea-Everton certainly won't and ED is willing to bet whatever the outcome, the match is unlikely to make the front and back pages of every single national newspaper on Sunday morning. And even if it does, the report and analysis will not fill 10 of the back pages, plus a couple in the news section.

What is guaranteed though is a steady drying up of poor 'Guus' puns once the Dutchman finally bids farewell.

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The plight of a football club suffering from financial mismanagement is a terribly sad sight to behold, even from afar. And even by the fiercely cynical ED.

And even by the fiercely cynical ED.

That melancholy feeling is only heightened with the realisation that it is not just the players who stand to lose out, but all those associated with the club.

So to Southampton Football Club, where financial concerns have not only led to relegation from the Championship but also prompted real concern over the club's ability to survive.

Yesterday Saints staff were told they had not been paid for their past month of work. Nor will they be paid for the coming week, which they have been asked to put in as a 'goodwill gesture'.

Now, while it may be difficult to muster any sympathy the likes of Bradley Wright-Phillips (£8,000-a-week) or Nathan Dyer (£5,000-a-week) - both of whom were arrested on suspicion of theft last year - it is a different story entirely for the secretaries, ticket office staff, programme-sellers and bar workers, who have been caught up in the sorry mess.

(For the record, Wright-Phillips was cleared of the charge of burglary relating to the theft of cash and mobile phones from a nightclub staffroom. Dyer, however, was convicted and sentenced to 60 hours of community service. The fool.)

Anyway, all the above - BWP, Dyer and the tea lady included - now stand to lose their current jobs, unless the club's administrator Mark Fry can find a buyer to settle the outstanding wage bill and keep the club afloat.

Ironic then, that the aforementioned Dyer - he who metaphorically stuck two fingers up at those less fortunate than himself by rifling through handbags, coats and purses of a couple of barmaids (£5.50-an-hour) before arrogantly chuckling about it with his mates - may provide part of the solution.

Should the winger seal a permanent transfer to Swansea, the £400,000 from his sale would go some way towards keeping the club running - at least for the time being.

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On a more serious note, an Ormskirk butchers has defied logic, and quite possibly science, to produce a Cup final-themed sausage, coloured blue and tasting of toffee and mint.

The Ormskirk and Skelmersdale Advertiser, a reputable rag believe it or not (it has been shortlisted for the 2009 North West Weekly Newspaper of the Year Award), reports that Brough Butchers has been swamped with orders from brave fans looking to show their support the Toffees this weekend.

Brough's proprietor Mark Shepherd, told the newspaper: "We just can't keep up with the demand for the sausages. We've had to make a new batch every day.

"We are expecting a huge rush this week just before the final. We have already got lots of orders for the sausages from pubs around Ormskirk and Southport so they can serve them to supporters on match day."

Whatever next? Butchers in Blackpool putting tangerines in their sausages? Well, yes actually. At least according to Shepherd, who claims the idea is already being copied by fellow Heston Blumenthal devotees in other parts of Lancashire.

ED can't wait for the fad to spread even further afield. Trotter-infused sausages in Bolton, anyone? Although perhaps it would be wise to steer well clear of Sheffield United-themed pies - who knows kind of sharp objects would be found in those?

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FOREIGN VIEW: "It has been the longest year of my life." Newcastle defender and official worst player of the Premier League season Jose Enrique speaks for thousands of Geordies in an interview with Marca.

COMING UP: FA Cup final team news with all the trimmings, plus a triple helping from the Messi, Eto'o and Henry of the blogging world, Jim White, Paul Parker and Danny Murphy. We'll also have live coverage of tonight's international friendlies involving Republic of Ireland and Wales while Andy Murray is in action later on over in Paris.

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