I think the automation comes in the form of whether or not the game
allows you to challenge, though. It won't automatically challenge for you if you don't want to lose your challenge, of course. As I see it, we simply can't will our manager out there on our own.
Anyone remember 2K6 when you could argue calls? That was kind of fun. You got to try and argue by tapping A/X or something and keep it within a certain meter so your team could get a morale boost and your manager wouldn't be ejected. I forget if the game prompted when we wanted to argue as well. I believe it did.