the airfield manger was an ex-bankrupt second hand car dealer
Astonishing..... he was thus perfectly qualified to run any business in general aviation.
I think a lot of people forget that any radio operator below the rank of ATC has no authority to "clear" anybody anywhere (much as some like to pretend otherwise) and the pilot can do what he likes.
So, if I am coming into some piece of grass, and the man on the radio is "ordering" me to fly an overhead join (another antiquated olde English tradition, designed originally to enable another wonderful olde tradition, the signals square, to be inspected) and I have already got it from him that he has no known traffic anywhere, I will just do a straight in, making the "final" call at various distances.