On the face of it, the announcement that a competition for lower-league clubs in Scotland has acquired a new sponsor and is being renamed has very little to do with Heart of Midlothian Football Club. However, the news on Wednesday afternoon that the Challenge Cup, which has most recently been known as The SPFL Trust Trophy and is currently in the hands of Livingston, will now be reformatted and known as the KDM Evolution Trophy did raise eyebrows as Scottish football digested confirmation of Tony Bloom’s intended £10 million investment in Hearts, which has been interpreted as a potential game-changer in some quarters. SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster is quoted in the press release thanking the SPFL Trust “and the donors who support them” for their recent years of Challenge Cup sponsorship. It’s been known for some time that the SPFL Trust, a registered charity, were stepping away to concentrate on other initiatives in conjunction with Scottish football’s senior clubs. And who knows, James Anderson, whose munificence has supported the Challenge Cup in recent years, may well help fund such projects. But it does pose further questions about the benefactor's future intentions with regards to Hearts and which were initially raised by the latest Bloom-related developments. What does the future look like for the Tynecastle club full stop? As well as Anderson, who along with wife Morag is estimated to have ploughed as much as £25m into the club, there’s question marks about how long chairperson Ann Budge plans to stay so directly involved. Now 77, it’s a wonder she still has the appetite while having to endure the type of criticism that recently came her way following her “yesterday’s news” comment to a reporter asking her about the previous day’s sacking of Neil Critchley. When Hearts were trailing to Ross County in Dingwall last weekend, she was described as yesterday’s news herself by jeering fans. Which brings us to Bloom, and the enthusiasm with which confirmation of his plans has been greeted. As well as being the talk of the toon, "The Lizard", as the professional poker player was once known, was also the centre of discussion at Dalmahoy, where Hearts held their golf day on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Bloom awaits to be waved through at Tynecastle. Nevertheless, it’s understandable if some are harbouring initial reservations about Hearts being so eager to get into bed with the Brighton & Hove Albion chairman when they’ve worked so hard to establish themselves as the UK’s largest fan-owned club. Some might have felt this claim jarred with the post from the club on Tuesday reporting news that Bloom has made a proposal to invest £9.86m for a 29 per cent stake, though crucially in the form of non-voting shares. As the FoH Board outlined in a missive to members, “the voting rights of the club’s existing shareholders, including FoH as the majority shareholders, will not be diluted as a result of the proposed investment”. Bloom’s stake will fall in line with recently redrawn SFA rules regarding multi-club ownership, with Hibs now seemingly reaping the benefits of Bournemouth owner Bill Foley’s £6 million investment last February. Depending on who you speak to, Bloom’s cash injection is either potentially transformative or a drop in the ocean if “disrupting” a natural order of Scottish football that has become so well established since 1985, when Aberdeen were the last Old Firm club to win the title, is the ambition. Bloom’s is being backed by the FoH, whose chairman Gerry Mallon gave a very persuasive interview on behalf of the majority shareholders outlining the pros of the proposed deal. The cons were not addressed. Quite possibly there aren’t any. “Anyone who doesn’t vote in favour of this needs their head examined,” was one of the first comments underneath the video. Still, nobody should be condemned for advising some caution. What is the point in putting in place a 20-day consultation period if it’s not for those affected to discuss, query and, if they still feel unsatisfied, object? Lawrence Broadie, a communications specialist who worked at Hearts prior to 2011, knows the motion will “sail through” with a more than 50 per cent majority required – he estimates upwards of 98 per cent will be in favour. He is not against the idea of investment from Bloom, who few can argue is a credible and successful operator in football having driven a data-led revolution at home and abroad, where he also has a stake in Belgian club Union-Saint Gilloise. “I am not against it,” says Broadie. “I just have questions.” He knows of a few who have concerns to the extent they will likely vote against the Bloom bid, including “fan ownership purists” who, regardless of voting rights being maintained, have concerns about the FoH’s shareholding being reduced by almost a third. Nothing is guaranteed, as Hearts, who have been healthily backed in recent seasons with no tangible reward, have themselves shown. Nobody had them in the bottom six at the start of the campaign and yet it’s where they ended up much to the outrage of their fans. “Is this what 40 million pounds gets you?” has been the gist of some of their complaints, with the question a particularly pointed one with supporters having contributed almost half that total through monthly donations. Hearts stand accused of wasting a 'golden ticket'. “On the face of it, someone who is prepared to spend £10 million for the right to put one person on the board, there’s been worse deals,” adds Broadie. “But I think there are some fundamental questions about what the club is trying to do. Because the evidence is that they have not always spent money wisely in the last 11 years.” What has been missing is the X factor, some might argue. Bloom certainly sounds like the kind of character who could provide it.