Stuart Baxter offered several excuses after Bafana Bafana's defeat to Senegal in Dakar on Tuesday night and blamed his delayed appointment to the coaching seat as the reason for the national team's failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
Senegal confirmed Bafana's plunge into ignominy with the 2-1 defeat and Baxter's charges finished the World Cup qualifying campaign at the bottom of their group with four points from six matches.
The Senegalese won the group and Burkina Faso and modest Cape Verde finished second and third.
"Looking back, it has been a difficult campaign," Baxter said.
"When I came in it was last- minute and the campaign was under way.
"The coaches that were here before did things in different ways and it takes time before you get your ideas across to the players."