My memory isn't what it was. Quite surprising that then - I guess he was just vying with the Greer / Dunk partnership, with El Abd there as well (although I'd have had him ahead of El Abd).
I don't think anyone was happy to see Elphick go - I certainly wasn't. Anyone with half a brain could see he was a very, very good CB. But the reality was that at that time he was behind Greer and Upson in the pecking order, and he would not be getting a game unless one of those was injured or...