He is still quite capable of playing at Championship level. Eddie Howe has a record of just abandoning players when he no longer needs them. Murray, for example, and Elphick. Steve Bruce doesn't rate Tommy, but that doesn't make him a bad player.
He was injured.
The same Tommy Elphick who captained Bournemouth to the Premier League? As above, he was injured so didn't play much for Reading on loan, so saying he nearly took them down, is disingenous to say the least.