I rushed my previous reply. I learned to drive in 2004, I doubt I've experienced any older automatics. But I've owned autos and manuals and an Alfa with selespeed (sillyspeed) with an "automatic" manual or whatever.
The mushiness is the delay when it downshifts. No automatic can know what you're about to do and be ready. But in a manual you've always eased off the accelerator, selected and are going in again. So the car is always responding in one gear. Taking that further, you can be looking ahead and see the hill you're about to climb / overtaking opportunity and have already dropped down a gear. Automatics change faster but always too late.
I'm not against them, if I drove in traffic often I'd have an automatic. But I live rural and a manual is more fun on country roads by a large margin.
The Alfa had the paddles but it still feels weird for it to change gear under your foot, so to speak.