I suspect that Capt Bloggs' thrust is along the line that automation cripples, as opposed to those who employ automation to assist and improve performance .. may have considerable difficulty in monitoring the automatics successfully ?
Very much like a medical examination with a GP mate years ago while he was punching and pummelling my innards ... I made some irreverent and cheeky comment about automatics in that context and his response was along the lines that if he didn't practice his diagnostic skills regularly .. then he would lose them ... where have I heard a similar cry ?
I doubt that anyone is extolling a virtue to be had by handflying all the time. However, a level of commonsense dictates that the pilot needs to develop and maintain competence in both separately and in conjunction.