Neil was "better" when he did not know how to drum properly. More of a Keith Moon type of drummer. Not a lot of substance between the flash.
Trying to find the right words but his drumming always felt disjointed, like little bits of stuff that he'd string together rather than a complete piece.
Back in the 90's he relearned how to play and now is overall a much better drummer but the general masses will miss it completely and will say he has become boring.
Same thing happened with Elton John. Technically he sang "wrong". Around the 90's he took vocal lessons and learned how to sing properly. But the result was he lost some of what made him unique.
I guess my point is that style and technical prowess are sometimes at odds.