DAR - spot on!
The 172 has absolutely appalling ailerons - hopelessly ineffective, sloppy as a blancmange, and easily overpowered by the slightest gust; and they feel 'dead'.
The rudder is stiff and poorly co-ordinated with the awful ailerons, and gives even less feedback than the latter.
But the elevator is pretty good. And the flaps (especially the earlier 40 degree ones) are the most effective I've ever used. There is no excuse not to grease a 172 on every time in reasonable winds (i.e. not too far off the runway heading).
Just because spam cans let you get away with poor landing technique (a Chippy and most other tailwheel type would bite long before landings get as bad as often seen at GA fields by trikes) is no excuse for the pilot to be a lazy unskilled chump at landing.