IT is the kind of KGB-style intrigue that you might expect to find in the pages of a spy novel.

Cryptic notes to Hearts boss Vladimir Romanov have been appearing in the personal messages columns of the Capital's newspapers.
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So far two messages - partly written in Latin - have been published, each one running for a week in the Evening News and the Scotsman.

Heart of Midlothian supporters have scrambled to decipher the mysterious notices, and posted various explanations as to their meaning on a fans' website. The Evening News today can reveal that the mystery man is the director of a property firm who wishes to remain anonymous.

He is a lifelong fan who backs the Hearts owner and claims to be working together with several supporters' clubs.

The first message said: "Vladimir, sometimes the monkeys write letters, noli illegitimi carborundum."

It was followed this week by: "Vladimir, remember the emperor's new clothes, pessimum genus inimicorum landantes."

The first Latin phrase translates as: "Don't let the b******* grind you down". The second, where the last word should read "laudantes", is a famous quote from Roman historian Tacitus meaning: "Flatterers are the worst kind of enemies."

Comments have been flying back and forth on the jamboskickback website from fans desperate to discover the meaning behind the messages.

The man who placed the ads would only allow the News to reveal that he is the director of a property firm and that the cost of the adverts was being split between several supporters' clubs. He said they were a reaction to an open letter to Vladimir Romanov posted by the Heart of Midlothian Supporters' Trust on their website last month.

In it, supporters claimed that the Lithuanian businessman's actions over the last two seasons had made the Gorgie outfit a laughing stock.

"Mr X" said many Hearts supporters disagreed with the sentiments in the letter and wanted to show Mr Romanov their backing in a way he would appreciate. He said: "It was a childish and poorly written letter and didn't mention any of the positive things Vladimir has done for the club.

"We don't have the platform the Supporters' Trust do and wanted to let him know he has the support of the rank and file. We know he is fond of cryptic messages so we thought it was something that he would appreciate."

Regarding the reference to the Emperor's New Clothes fairy tale, he said: "All the people beside the emperor were scared to tell him he was naked. There are people who do that to Romanov - they won't tell him his mistakes.

"He has definitely made mistakes, but he admits them and learns from them."

He added that the messages would run until the end of the season and would eventually link together to form a story with a conclusion.