Not irrelevant at all. VNAV on the 744 and 748 ideally does exactly that. Think of it as extending the ILS 100-130 nm, that you start out with Mach 0.82, and you configure without a level segment.
Yes your ToD becomes irrelevant, when ATC takes you down 200 nm prior to you destination, gives you 10 step descends and controls your rate in between (all due to airspaces structures).
Welcome to euro land!