Ruiz is

[Tonywa]

Wouldn't exactly call Hangeland "scraps that nobody wants". He came from FC Copenhagen which is Western Europe last time I looked at the map

Exactly plus which weren't we just one of two or three clubs which were after Ruiz?

[Jimpav]

the best place to look for great players is leagues that are less scouted like leagues in Eastern Europe, central America, Africa.

The big/wealthier clubs scout all leagues. It was only last summer that Hernandez joined Man United from Central America and was their best player all year. Similarly, Berbatov joined Spurs from Bulgaria and was an overnight sensation.

There are always going to be unpolished diamonds in any league in the world. Take Smalling for example, he was plucked from Maidstone (a non-league side) and is now playing football at the highest level. Similarly Zamora has played at every level in the football league but has now broken into the England squad and shone in Europe.

I don't think the scouting is an issue -  it comes down to whether the club can afford to take the risk on a player and stick with them them whilst they are nurtured into the English game - it also depends on who is doing the nurturing. Compare the likes of Baird and Dempsey under Sanchez/Coleman to how they have played under Hodgson/Hughes and you have a very different player.

The biggest issue is hanging onto the diamonds once they have been polished. We have been lucky to hang onto
Hangeland, Dempsey, Zamora (it's a credit to us they they have chosen to stay) but there will always be other players lured to greener pastures. It's a bit soul destroying though to see players snatched from a small team where they flourish, only to end up on the scrap heap (Such as Palacios, Boa Morte erm Torres).

[AlFayedsChequebook]

the best place to look for great players is leagues that are less scouted like leagues in Eastern Europe, central America, Africa.

The big/wealthier clubs scout all leagues. It was only last summer that Hernandez joined Man United from Central America and was their best player all year. Similarly, Berbatov joined Spurs from Bulgaria and was an overnight sensation.

There are always going to be unpolished diamonds in any league in the world. Take Smalling for example, he was plucked from Maidstone (a non-league side) and is now playing football at the highest level. Similarly Zamora has played at every level in the football league but has now broken into the England squad and shone in Europe.

I don't think the scouting is an issue -  it comes down to whether the club can afford to take the risk on a player and stick with them them whilst they are nurtured into the English game - it also depends on who is doing the nurturing. Compare the likes of Baird and Dempsey under Sanchez/Coleman to how they have played under Hodgson/Hughes and you have a very different player.

The biggest issue is hanging onto the diamonds once they have been polished. We have been lucky to hang onto
Hangeland, Dempsey, Zamora (it's a credit to us they they have chosen to stay) but there will always be other players lured to greener pastures. It's a bit soul destroying though to see players snatched from a small team where they flourish, only to end up on the scrap heap (Such as Palacios, Boa Morte erm Torres).

Sorry to be a pedant, but Berbatov had been playing for Bayern Leverkusen for  5 years before he joined Spurs