The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 13 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
Position 16 and 1 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
0‑3 against Botafogo-PB, and no complaints that would survive the replay. The manager spoke about character afterwards; the terraces used shorter words.
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Marcílio Dias have lost him in all but the paperwork.
The clubs had agreed and the player had not. A snub, and a public one: Atlético Mineiro keep him, and the supporters here are left wondering what he had heard about the place.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Lenon Farías de Souza Leite was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
11 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Marcílio Dias can tell you which week it ends in.
Lenon Farías de Souza Leite was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
The gap in the accounts was filled from upstairs again. Supporters are entitled to be grateful and to ask what happens the month it is not, and both feelings arrive together.
Marcílio Dias asked and ABC said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad3 Jun 2030
Juan Briceño falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Marcílio Dias will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
6 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Marcílio Dias can tell you which week it ends in.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Marcílio Dias is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
The shortfall was covered from upstairs again. Supporters are entitled to be relieved and entitled to ask what happens the month it is not, and both feelings usually arrive together.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Luan Rodrigues was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The words a physio says slowly. 15 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
The board’s statement ran to three sentences and one of them mentioned results. Interim Coach has managed long enough to translate: win soon, or the next statement is shorter.
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 55 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Nothing has been announced and everybody understands what it means. A board that summons the whole football department on a Tuesday morning is a board that has stopped believing the problem will fix itself.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Marcílio Dias they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Lenon Farías de Souza Leite was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
This is money that keeps the lights on rather than money that buys a centre-half, and the difference is the whole story. A club funded by its owner rather than by its football has exactly one conversation left ahead of it.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Juan Briceño was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The words a physio says slowly. 43 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Marcílio Dias is running low.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Sérgio Rocha will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Marcílio Dias the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Lenon Farías de Souza Leite was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad11 Mar 2030
Words at Marcílio Dias training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Juan Briceño is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Boardroom11 Mar 2030
192% of the income goes out in wages at Marcílio Dias
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
“I have tried. I have really tried, and every day I wake up in the wrong place.” Nobody at Marcílio Dias can coach that out of a man, and nobody there is pretending to.
71 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Marcílio Dias lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Boardroom11 Feb 2030
The silence upstairs is getting loud at Marcílio Dias
Nobody on the board has said anything against the manager, which is the point — they have stopped saying anything for him either.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Sérgio Rocha will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Marcílio Dias the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Lenon Farías de Souza Leite and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad11 Feb 2030
Juan Briceño falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Every club pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time it has been tried.
The manager may talk to whoever he likes and may pay nobody. A squad survives a window like this by borrowing, by promoting, and by hoping the injuries land somewhere else.
99 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Marcílio Dias lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Marcílio Dias they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Some transfers need a press campaign. This one needed a shirt with the old number on it. José Bezerra is a Marcílio Dias player again, and the town has its story of the summer.
Isaac Bryan was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Every footballer has an answer to the question about his boyhood club, and most of them never get to act on it. José Bezerra has, at Marcílio Dias, and the first month will show what that does to a man.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Luan Rodrigues was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Ituano have kept their man, and Marcílio Dias go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Boardroom14 Jan 2030
153% of the income goes out in wages at Marcílio Dias
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
113 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Marcílio Dias lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Marcílio Dias have lost him in all but the paperwork.
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. Marcílio Dias have done the hard part with Náutico, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
Squad31 Dec 2029
Words at Marcílio Dias training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Luan Rodrigues is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Volta Redonda have kept their man, and Marcílio Dias go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Everybody at Marcílio Dias saw it before anybody said it, which is how this always goes. At 34 the decline is real and measurable — 3 points — and the only question left is how the club handles somebody it owes a great deal to.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Marcílio Dias can pretend not to have heard.
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Marcílio Dias asked and ABC said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Nobody will confirm this and nothing else explains the last month of selections. A costly error buys a player a period of being second choice that is always longer than the error was.
He trains hard, says the right things and goes home to an empty flat. Nobody at Marcílio Dias has done anything wrong, which is exactly what makes it so difficult to fix.
A bad atmosphere can be waited out. A group of people meeting afterwards to decide what to do about it cannot, and everybody in the building knows which stage this is.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Marcílio Dias can pretend not to have heard.
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around Marcílio Dias people have started saying his name in the past tense.
Ivanilson was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad10 Dec 2029
Words at Marcílio Dias training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Luan Rodrigues is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Ferroviária have kept their man, and Marcílio Dias go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
The embargo bars a fee being paid for a player, whatever the manager thinks the squad needs. Every rumour printed about this club between now and its lifting is a rumour about a deal that cannot happen.
Everybody at Marcílio Dias saw it before anybody said it, which is how this always goes. At 35 the decline is real and measurable — 3 points — and the only question left is how the club handles somebody it owes a great deal to.
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Marcílio Dias, and it is not being withdrawn.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Marcílio Dias is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Marcílio Dias this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad26 Nov 2029
Cauã Tavares falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
It happens to all of them and it is still the hardest paragraph a local paper has to write. 34 years old, 3 points down on where he was, and a body that has started charging interest on a career.
6 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Marcílio Dias they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Luan Rodrigues was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Marcílio Dias this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
19 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Marcílio Dias lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the whole of the defence. 6 saves, several of them the kind nobody expects to see made, and ten outfield players who owe him a drink.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Marcílio Dias they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Marcílio Dias this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
3 matches, no goals, and a training ground that has tried everything. It will end — droughts always do — but nobody at Marcílio Dias can tell you which week it ends in.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Luan Rodrigues was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
47 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Marcílio Dias lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
The board’s statement ran to three sentences and one of them mentioned results. Interim Coach has managed long enough to translate: win soon, or the next statement is shorter.
Centre-halves are allowed forward twice a season and are judged on what they do when they get there. Roldan scored, was marked 7.50, and got back before anybody noticed he had gone.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Marcílio Dias is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
This is money that keeps the lights on rather than money that buys a centre-half, and the difference is the whole story. A club funded by its owner rather than by its football has exactly one conversation left ahead of it.
Squad3 Sep 2029
Words at Marcílio Dias training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Cauã Tavares is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
At 19 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
The words a physio says slowly. 75 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
The board have said in public what they had been saying in private. Results between now and the next meeting decide it, and everybody in the building knows the arithmetic.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Sérgio Rocha will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Marcílio Dias the goodbyes have quietly begun.
This is money that keeps the lights on rather than money that buys a centre-half, and the difference is the whole story. A club funded by its owner rather than by its football has exactly one conversation left ahead of it.
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Marcílio Dias this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
He is doing things on a Saturday afternoon that nobody around him can answer, which is flattering for about one season and a problem after that. Marcílio Dias will not keep him by pretending otherwise.
In brief
The dugoutThe manager’s verdict
The dugoutCauã Tavares loses the manager who believed in him
BoardroomNobody arrives at Marcílio Dias until somebody leaves
25 without a win now, and the ground has developed the special quiet of a crowd that expects the worst. One scrappy 1-0 would cure most of it; that is the maddening part.
21 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Marcílio Dias lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around Marcílio Dias people have started saying his name in the past tense.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Marcílio Dias this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Luan Rodrigues was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Marcílio Dias asked and Cascavel said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
49 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Marcílio Dias lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Marcílio Dias have lost him in all but the paperwork.
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Marcílio Dias, and it is not being withdrawn.
The deal with Águia de Marabá is done in every sense but the one that puts him on the pitch. Nothing goes wrong at this stage, except on the occasions when it does.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Marcílio Dias this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Marcílio Dias asked and Amazonas said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
63 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Marcílio Dias lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
It has stopped being a mood in the stands and started being something organised. Boards can ignore a bad atmosphere for a long time; they cannot ignore this stage of it for very long at all.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Marcílio Dias they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Marcílio Dias this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Luan Rodrigues was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
91 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Marcílio Dias lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
It has stopped being a mood in the stands and started being something organised. Boards can ignore a bad atmosphere for a long time; they cannot ignore this stage of it for very long at all.
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Marcílio Dias, and it is not being withdrawn.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Marcílio Dias is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
The chances are being made and something is happening between the making and the finishing. 4 matches now, and the anxiety in the ground arrives a little earlier every week.
He is 21 and the ground already sings his name, which is a thing that happens to local boys and almost never to signings. Everything from here is measured against an affection he did nothing to earn except be from here.
19 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Marcílio Dias lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
A bad atmosphere can be waited out. A group of people meeting afterwards to decide what to do about it cannot, and everybody in the building knows which stage this is.
What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Marcílio Dias can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.
The official line will be that it was routine. It was not routine, the timing says so, and every person in that room knows what the next bad result costs.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Marcílio Dias can pretend not to have heard.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Sérgio Rocha will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Marcílio Dias the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Luan Rodrigues was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Football clubs borrow; that is not the story. Borrowing more than the facility allows is, because from here it is the owner's money or somebody else's decision, and neither of those belongs to the board.
The words a physio says slowly. 47 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Marcílio Dias can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.
It has stopped being a mood in the stands and started being something organised. Boards can ignore a bad atmosphere for a long time; they cannot ignore this stage of it for very long at all.
The whole football department in one room on a weekday morning. Nothing was announced afterwards, which is what a board announces when it has run out of patience.
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Marcílio Dias, and it is not being withdrawn.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Marcílio Dias is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Isaac Bryan and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad5 Mar 2029
Words at Marcílio Dias training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Luan Rodrigues is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
In brief
The dugoutIvanilson without the man who signed him
75 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Marcílio Dias lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Marcílio Dias can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Sérgio Rocha will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Marcílio Dias the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Everybody saw it before anybody said it. At 36 the numbers say 3 points down on what he was, and the question for Marcílio Dias is how to handle a man they owe a great deal.
“Some mornings you wake up and you are still a long way from everything you know.” It is not the football and it never was; Marcílio Dias are dealing with a man who wants a different country.
“We keep meeting, and we keep leaving the room with the same numbers we walked in with.” Another round of talks at Marcílio Dias, another week without a signature from Pablo Alza.
Every squad is half players the manager chose and half players he inherited. Pablo Alza was chosen, the man who chose him has gone, and he starts again from nothing under the next one.
The words a physio says slowly. 103 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
What was said behind closed doors has now been said in front of a microphone. Everybody at Marcílio Dias can do the arithmetic, including the man it is aimed at.
There is a version of every career where the player ends up somewhere he chose rather than somewhere that chose him. Eduardo is living that version at Marcílio Dias, and it tends to show in the first month.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Marcílio Dias they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Luan Rodrigues was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Márcio Souza and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Every squad is half players the manager chose and half players he inherited. Ivanilson was chosen, the man who chose him has gone, and he starts again from nothing under the next one.
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Roldan signs something — a contract at Marcílio Dias or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
Nobody upstairs has said anything, which is the loudest thing they could do. Results buy silence in this game; the account at Marcílio Dias is running low.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Marcílio Dias can pretend not to have heard.
Fee agreed, wages agreed, and Santa Cruz de Natal waiting with a shirt. Nobody at Marcílio Dias is pretending otherwise, and the supporters have stopped asking whether and started asking when.
Isaac Bryan was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Every shape has positions in it and this one does not have his. Marcílio Dias will either change the shape, change his job, or change his club, and he is waiting to hear which.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Federico Gutiérrez was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Edrean trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Marcílio Dias, and it is not being withdrawn.
There is a version of every career where the player ends up somewhere he chose rather than somewhere that chose him. Dalmoro is living that version at Marcílio Dias, and it tends to show in the first month.
A medical, a signature, a shirt held up in front of a sponsor’s board. Marcílio Dias have done the hard part with Cruzeiro, and the part that remains is the part supporters actually see.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Marcílio Dias this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad18 Dec 2028
Words at Marcílio Dias training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Luan Rodrigues is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. São Paulo have kept their man, and Marcílio Dias go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Boardroom18 Dec 2028
138% of the income goes out in wages at Marcílio Dias
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Marcílio Dias will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Marcílio Dias can pretend not to have heard.
The hardest thing about being 20 in a senior side is that nobody makes allowances. Dudu did not need any: 7.93, and he looked the most comfortable man on the pitch.
Beaten 1‑3, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad18 Sep 2028
Words at Marcílio Dias training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Luan Rodrigues is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout18 Sep 2028
The view from the dugout
“We will look at it, we will learn from it, and we go again.” The three sentences every manager keeps for a 1‑3 defeat, delivered by Felipe Neves to a room that had heard them before.