In an age of countless surveys of consumer opinion, focus groups and lifestyle questionnaires, there was one piece of research that stuck in my mind some time ago. This nugget of mind-blowing information asserted that more people in Edinburgh suffer from heart disease than the entire population of Sweden. No real surprise there, I thought – after all how many people in Scandinavia support Hearts?

With the end of another season looming, the thoughts of many Hearts supporters will soon be turning to next season. And for those of us who have season tickets, the annual poser of "will we renew our coveted book?" Normally, that’s a rhetorical question with the paperwork signed and returned to the ticket office in McLeod Street before you can say "monkeys in the safari park". But I wonder how many supporters will do so this summer?

Life these days is complicated and stressful enough and for many a release from the hardships of everyday life is through going to the football to cheer on their team. But for Hearts fans this season, going to see the boys in maroon has merely added to their stress levels – and events off the field have significantly increased their unhappiness.

For nearly 40 years I’ve been proud to call myself a Hearts supporter. When idle conversation with strangers, whether it be on business or leisure, turns to football my heart swells when I divulge that I follow the fortunes of Scotland’s biggest club outside of the Old Firm. Even saying the name Heart of Midlothian brings a sense of pride. But, sadly, events of the past year are gradually replacing pride with dishonour.

The antics of majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov have always been newsworthy, even when the Russian first rode into Tynecastle on his white charger two years ago. Supporters of other clubs chuckled when Vlad declared that Hearts would not only be in the UEFA Champions League within five years but actually win the damn thing. Cue hoots of derision from others, particularly those of the Hibernian persuasion who have no idea what the Champions League is, far less think about winning it.

But last season, as Hearts set Scottish football alight with some sparkling football, we smug Jambos merely smirked and "believed" in the Romanov Revolution. And while some fans of other clubs such as Hibs and Aberdeen questioned Romanov’s long-term objectives, we certainly did believe everything in the Tynecastle garden was rosy. Then George Burley exited, replaced inexplicably by Graham Rix and Andy Webster was frozen out. We clung to the belief that if Hearts were successful at the end of the season the ends justified the means. And when Hearts won the Scottish Cup and made it to the qualifying stages of this season’s Champions League we thought we had weathered the storm. Until Rudi Skacel left and the pantomime that has become this season began…