Neilson has once more come under severe scrutiny from sections of the Tynecastle Park support following a run of five defeats in the last six games, including away defeats at Motherwell, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock. Fans expressed their anger and frustration at Rugby Park with more than 2,200 in attendance.

An anti-Robbie Neilson message was scrawled on Foundation Plaza outside of the Tynecastle Park Main Stand, a move condemned by the Foundation of Hearts as a “pathetic act of vandalism”. It is not the first time some supporters have protested against the manager. There was a banner flown on a plane during his first stint and then, in his first season back, protests outside the ground prior to a defeat to Queen of the South in the Championship, following a defeat to Brora Rangers in the Scottish Cup.

Levein, who was the target of protests from fans in his second spell as Hearts boss, described the message on Foundation Plaza as “madness” as he gave his view on the situation to BBC Scotland.

"The plane thing was nonsense - the club were doing really well at the time," he said.. "To me, he's done a fantastic job. Be careful what you wish for, because I look at the Aberdeen situation - they get rid of Derek McInnes then two more managers in a very short space of time. Very quickly it can go from fairly regular success to almost a catastrophe."

He added: “People have a voice now. They can get to chairman and to board members much more easily than they did. In my day, they wrote in to the Evening News in Edinburgh and made a complaint or phoned a radio phone-in or made your way to the stadium to make a statement through booing. Now you can get instant access to owners and, when the owners come under pressure, that's when things can get a bit hairy."

'Success to almost a catastrophe' - Craig Levein in warning to Hearts fans over Robbie Neilson situation

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