Well, I agree with you, williamseal - and you're right, others will not (there's been a lot of discussion on this subject over the years!).
With this puzzle you were at a distinct disadvantage without some kind of anagram 'machine' - Chambers Word Wizard is a very basic one, you've got to have all of the letters you need for an anagram (but if you're missing just one, you can run through the alphabet until you hit on it) or you can get the basic shape of a word and it will fill in the gaps - so you look for a likely prefix/suffix to get you started. I think good clueing should dispense with their use altogether (with a check through Chambers once you've filled the grid).
However, it's not just the Listener puzzles - it took me over two hours to finish Azed this week and I was sorely tempted to use the ...Wizard for the last few entries. That was a rare Azed (this a less rare Listener) and perhaps we need to be pushed from time to time, but it's rarely a pleasant experience.