Cos I think that the assistant manager at Livi is actually the guy in charge of not only the team but also the club.
Hopkin was just a front.
I speculate that he asked for a pay rise and Livi decided they could get another front cheaper.
Simply observing the Livi bench at games, seeing who was barking out instructions, making substitutions and, tellingly, who was disappearing up the tunnel for periods while the game was ongoing and then reappearing without anyone notcing or caring said it all to me.