#but silva and paul are my diamond in the rough

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Got kind of emotional today… thinking about Silva and Paul today (the OCs for my Far Cry 5 series called Far Cry The Silver Chronicles) and wow… that was a lot of random sad energy.

Their whole father-daughter relationship was built on actual love and care, something both had needed (Paul being alone after his fiancé was executed by Adam’s Guard and Silva barely able to survive living under the roof of the despicable Prophet himself) and a bond that just clicked with them. They both shared interests and hobbies and quirks. They both understood each other, and in a way, both were one in the same.

And even in the present, after Silva lost pretty much everything (home, family, her sister’s legacy) and Paul destroyed what little chance he had left to fix and reconnect their relationship (with the death of Silva’s first daughter), she still retains some of his mannerisms and teachings. Despite how badly she wants to reject everything about Paul (because of what he did), she can’t, as even when he broke bad in the end, he had been the first father figure who loved her as a father should, not the false and disturbed “love” (or rather, bigoted hatred) that Adam had towards her. And to make matters more confusing for her, Silva still holds fond memories of Paul.

Or in another way to say this, Silva can hate Adam because she knows he never loved her. But she can’t completely hate Paul, because before and even at his worst, he loved her. But tragedy tore them apart, and both went down different paths in handling it.

I want to expand more on them in a different post, as well as her relationship with Adam and how horrible he is, and maybe make another post in regards to Silva with the Seeds.

Anyway, I’m working on some WIPs and feeling much better in working on the September prompts. I don’t think they’ll be done in September though LOL.

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Garth Crooks

Garth Crooks

Garth Crooks

Chelsea beat Southampton to reach the FA Cup final where they will face Manchester United after their victory over Tottenham.

In the Premier League, Liverpool threw away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at West Brom while Watford against Crystal Palace finished goalless.

Champions Manchester City thrashed Swansea 5-0, Arsenal defeated West Ham 4-1, while Stoke and Burnley ended 1-1.

But who did enough to make my team of the week? Read my selections and then pick your own XI.

Goalkeeper – Wayne Hennessey (Crystal Palace)

The goalless draw at Vicarage Road was not the greatest game I’ve ever seen but Crystal Palace won’t care about that. Watford battered them in the first half and it took an inspired performance from Wayne Hennessey to keep them in the game.

In the circumstances Palace find themselves in, a clean sheet took a lot of nerve. As for the antics of Wilfried Zaha? Really good players don’t have to go looking for penalties – they will happen naturally as a consequence of your brilliance.

Did you know? Hennessey made five saves in helping Crystal Palace keep just their second clean sheet in 12 Premier League games.

Defenders – Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Chris Smalling (Manchester United), Nacho Monreal (Arsenal)

Cesar Azpilicueta: It would appear that Chelsea, and in particular Antonio Conte, have some unfinished business to attend to at this year’s FA Cup final.

They lost the last one because of elongated title celebrations (unprofessional nonsense) and owe it to themselves to make up for the debacle this time around.

Their semi-final win over Southampton was routine and much of their spirited performance was down to that man Cesar Azpilicueta, who keeps finding Alvaro Morata in the box with great balls. The Saints, however, have bigger fish to fry – staying in the Premier League.

Did you know? All seven of Azpilicueta’s assists this season have come for Alvaro Morata.

Chris Smalling: Gareth Southgate left Chris Smalling out of England’s friendly games against the Netherlands and Italy in March, but on current form, he has to be back in the manager’s thinking.

The Manchester United central defender was superb against Spurs at Wembley in Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final and didn’t give Harry Kane a kick. Smalling may not be particularly skilful but there isn’t a better competitor in the Premier League.

England are not blessed with enough centre-backs to leave Smalling out. The World Cup in Russia will be nothing if not a test of bottle and Smalling has plenty of it.

Did you know? Smalling made four clearances and three blocks in Manchester United’s 2-1 victory over Spurs – no United player made more.

Nacho Monreal: So the long goodbye has begun. Arsene Wenger’s farewell to Arsenal fans started with a reasonable performance against an unfortunate West Ham.

The game certainly didn’t reflect a 4-1 drubbing of the Hammers. However, it took a defender to get the party started and a fabulous strike by Nacho Monreal.

Whenever the Spain international plays for the Gunners, they look a different outfit. They will need him in midweek against Atletico Madrid. You can read more about Wenger’s farewell below, in my Crooks of the matter section.

Did you know? Monreal has scored three goals in his past seven Premier League appearances – as many as he managed in his first 153 appearances in the competition.

Midfielders – Ander Herrera (Manchester United), Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City), Paul Pogba (Manchester United), Alexis Sanchez (Manchester United)

Ander Herrera: I find Ander Herrera the most irritating player in the Premier League. He looks like butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. But if he’s not pulling your shirt, he’s leaving his foot in on his opposite number and if anyone touches him he goes down as if he’s been poleaxed.

Against Spurs in the FA Cup semi-final, Herrera did all of those things and much more. He took care of Mousa Dembele in the first half and then imposed himself on the rest of the game.

In fact, he seemed to be everywhere. For your performance to be so infectious and yet somehow remain on the field takes some doing. I suppose that’s what Jose Mourinho calls a winning mentality.

Did you know? Herrera has scored in each of his past two FA Cup games, having struck only twice in his previous 15 matches in the competition.

Kevin de Bruyne: A guard of honour was provided by Swansea, and quite rightly, for the newly crowned champions. What a performance by Manchester City. All the Swans could do was admire it.

Leading the chorus were Kevin de Bruyne and David Silva. They were like Lennon and McCartney. De Bruyne scored what can only be described as a classic.

Did you know? De Bruyne has now scored five goals from outside the box in the Premier League this season, the most of any player.

Paul Pogba: When Paul Pogba actually turns up for a game, he’s not a bad player. I also get the feeling the bigger the game, the more he seems up for it.

That was a point United manager Jose Mourinho was making last week after their debacle against West Bromwich Albion.

Against Spurs, however, Pogba was the player on the pitch who saw the pass – and was not afraid to play it. The cross for Alexis Sanchez to score was superb.

The France international went on to put scoring opportunities on a plate for Romelu Lukaku and Jesse Lingard, although neither were equal to them. It’s all very well turning up for the big games – but what Pogba has to realise is that in order to get to the big games, you have to win the less attractive fixtures first.

Did you know? Pogba has recorded 12 assists in all competitions this season – twice as many as he registered last season.

Alexis Sanchez: He always turns up for the big games. Alexis Sanchez has found it difficult at Old Trafford since his arrival from Arsenal but he has always been at home at Wembley.

You won’t find a player who works as hard or is as creative in front of goal. His header, from the missile of a cross sent in by Paul Pogba, was quite extraordinary.

The way the Chile international took the pace of this Exocet and guided the ball into the net was world-class – which is exactly what he is.

Did you know? Sanchez has scored eight goals in his eight appearances at Wembley for club and country, including six goals in five FA Cup matches.

Forwards – Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Salomon Rondon (West Brom), Danny Ings (Liverpool)

Mohamed Salah: How do you score 41 goals in one season? That’s more than some Premier League teams have scored.

Salah’s goal at West Brom on Saturday was another exquisite chip beyond the advancing Ben Foster. However, Jurgen Klopp’s suggestion that the Albion pitch not being watered at half-time was somehow responsible for his team losing a two-goal lead is about as pathetic as it gets.

Did you know? Salah has scored 31 Premier League goals this season – the joint-most by a player in a 38-game campaign alongside Alan Shearer for Blackburn in 1995-96, Cristiano Ronaldo for Manchester United in 2007-08 and Luis Suarez for Liverpool in 2013-14.

Salomon Rondon: I’ve gone on record as saying I don’t think Salomon Rondon is good enough for Premier League football and that’s probably why West Brom are staring at relegation.

That said, I can’t fault his effort and that is why I have chosen Rondon instead of Alexandre Lacazette, who scored twice for Arsenal on Sunday.

The Venezuela international scored a sensational goal against a Liverpool side who had two eyes firmly fixed on their midweek Champions League game against Roma.

The Reds made five changes to their starting line-up, let a two-goal lead slip from their grasp and made a poor substitution. Yet manager Jurgen Klopp thinks he had nothing to do with this 2-2 result. Wow!

Did you know? Rondon has been directly involved in five goals in his last six Premier League games (three goals, two assists), including the 88th-minute equaliser against Liverpool.

Danny Ings: It was great to see Danny Ings back in a Liverpool shirt and looking so effective. Two years he spent recovering from injury and, from the look on his face, putting Liverpool 1-0 up must have felt like winning the lottery.

Why Jurgen Klopp took off the striker, I don’t know. Ings needs game time and was running Ahmed Hegazi ragged at the time. The West Brom central defender must have been delighted to see Ings substituted. Liverpool’s game started to fall apart the moment the striker left the field.

Did you know? Danny Ings scored his first Premier League goal in 930 days, since netting against Everton for Liverpool in October 2015.

You’ve seen my picks this week. But who would you go for?

Choose your XI from the shortlist selected by BBC Sport journalists and share it with your friends.

Pick your Team of the Week

The Crooks of the matter…

So he’s finally decided to call it a day. He’s right of course. In fact, Arsene Wenger should have left Arsenal just after he won the FA Cup for the third time but, like all who gorge themselves on adoration, they seek one last curtain call.

The moment it became clear Wenger was going to miss the top four for the second consecutive season and that Champions League football was reliant on winning the Europa League, his best chance of a fine finale was to announce his exit now.

Why? Because the news of his departure, while music to some ears and a shock to others, represents the ultimate rally call to everyone associated with the club.

Regardless of the outcome in the Europa League, the Frenchman has fallen on his sword in a dramatic display of martyrdom and appears to have died for the cause. I must say it is quite brilliant.

Regardless, Wenger deserves the applause and it will last from now until Arsenal’s last ball is kicked this season. May I remind you that this was the man who, when he first burst on to the Premier League scene, could spot a diamond in the rough when others saw mere rocks.

As a young coach, he knew where all the best kids were and how to turn them into stars. Who could forget the purchases of precocious unknowns such as Nicolas Anelka and Patrick Vieira?

Wenger also rescued Arsenal from the drudgery perpetuated by George Graham. Yes those teams won trophies under Graham, but they were desperately unattractive. Wenger turned dull, crude compositions, all too often associated with British football, into something quite beautiful.

He reined in Ian Wright and placed limitations on his excesses. He turned Thierry Henry into one of the most sophisticated strikers I think I have ever seen.

Wenger didn’t just buy gifted players either; they had to be winners and intelligent. But when that supply started to dry up, and he had to start paying exorbitant fees to replace them, it was the beginning of the end for the Frenchman.

The Invincibles will, of course, always be his crowning glory. I cannot see another team going through an entire Premier League season undefeated. This, more than anything, puts Arsene Wenger on the same stage as Jock Stein, Brian Clough. Bill Shankly and Alex Ferguson. They were all managers whose teams played beautiful football as if it were their duty, not just their jobs.

I have always maintained that if Wenger managed Tottenham, they would have built a statue of him by now – and frankly, I can’t think of a bigger or better compliment.

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