My Notebook and the 12 Disappeared Rounds: When Data Speaks Amid a Canceled Season

This afternoon, I stood at Hoa Xuan training ground in Da Nang, where no ball rolled. The atmosphere was eerily silent, only the sound of wind through the empty stands. In my hand was my familiar coded notebook, documenting every training session, every match of SHB Da Nang throughout the 12 rounds of V-League 2026 before the league was canceled midway. 12 rounds, 12 points, 11th place on the table. But that number doesn't tell the whole story. It doesn't tell about the optimal lineup I tracked, about players who never played a full match together, and about a season that vanished before it could take shape. The context of the 2026 season was a difficult puzzle for every team in Vietnam. The COVID-19 pandemic caused constant schedule disruptions, postponed matches, and then a congested fixture list. SHB Da Nang, a mid-table team with a limited budget, faced the challenge of fitness and squad depth. In 12 rounds, I recorded at least 5 different tactical formations used by the coach, from traditional 4-4-2 to experimental 3-5-2. But more notable was the constant rotation: no player appeared in all 12 matches, and the optimal center-back trio I identified from last season's data played together only 3 times. From the perspective of a beat reporter following the team, I see what the table doesn't reflect: the mental and physical fatigue of the players. In my notebook, I recorded the team's average number of substitutions per match, the timing of substitutions, and even the disappointed looks when players were pulled off. The data shows the team was trying to find stability but didn't have enough time to build it. The truth is, in 12 rounds, SHB Da Nang kept only 2 clean sheets, and both came from matches where the lineup maintained the most stability. But there's another angle, contrary to what fans outside often think. Many believe the league's cancellation was a waste, a shock to Vietnamese football. But from my data, I see a different picture: the cancellation may have saved SHB Da Nang from a bigger crisis. With the congested schedule, this team faced a higher risk of mass injuries than ever before. I recorded 7 muscle injuries in 12 rounds, an abnormal number compared to the previous season. If the league had continued, the team could have fallen into a serious squad crisis, affecting even the next season. The next signal I'm tracking is the team's preparation for the new season. From my notes, I see the coaching staff has begun testing young players in internal friendlies, a sign they are rebuilding from the ground up. The question is: will they have the patience to develop these players, or will they again chase short-term contracts? I will continue documenting, because the match may end, but the data doesn't. Numbers don't lie; we just haven't asked them correctly. And for me, those 12 disappeared rounds remain in my notebook, as a reminder that football is not just about wins and losses, but about stories of perseverance and discipline.