Of course.
How anyone could fly an approach without keeping a very close eye on their IAS is beyond my comprehension.
How anyone could let the other guy fly an approach without keeping a very close eye on his IAS is also beyond my comprehension.
But having thrust levers that move is a tactile feedback that the autothrottle is doing something. It is something that Boeing pilots appreciate and Airbus pilots have to learn to live without. In changing from an Airbus to a Boeing he had possibly learned to live without it so it could be put down to one of those many contributing factors.