I don't see why its being tough on the captain to be highly critical of his actions. We often point out that as captain choosing a course of action is up to us. The corolary of this is that we are responsible for our actions and should be fully willing to accept criticism for poor choices.
In this instance there is no indication of having to choose the lesser of two evils. There is a simple and effective procedure for this very event that is practiced regularly in the sim and, in any reputable organisation operating these types of aircraft, is briefed just prior to taking off.
Whilst it is true to say that he got the aircraft on the ground and so at one level is could be considered a success the investigation has not found anything that indicates the normal procedure would not have worked and plenty of evidence that the crew did many things to reduce the chance of a successful recovery. That the company is reported to consider this '... a unique event which pilots cannot be trained for' beggars belief and is, I suggest a root cause of the problem than one pilots poor choices on the day.