I get the impression that Spandex and Shell are trying to say that they might have been more "wary" about landing in such a situation, and I tend to agree.
Of course landing at an un-controlled airport is no big deal - it's just a case of following the relevant procedures. However, what happened here is that a controlled airport suddenly became degraded to un-controlled.
I think it is perfectly reasonable to suppose that someone (or something) could have been legitimately cleared onto the active runway by the controller before he fell asleep. With a tube load of passengers sitting behind me on a dark night, I would want to be SURE that the runway was clear. Better that than just steaming in because one knows "that they don't need to be talked down." Better to be "really" careful, even if you are a "really" experienced pilot.
Whatever one's view, the debate isn't helped by a pi$$ing contest.