Funny thing that people forget like the \E Riddle man.
Automation is fine but when the wind gets up over 25kts the pilot has to fly manually and the windier it gets the more this is true. So stick and rudder skills are as important as ever and until they make a plane that can tackle all the variations of weather it will remain so. Last winter in Dublin it was on max crosswind with rain on and off for days. The skills displayed by all the pilots was good to watch in these marginal conditions.