Johannesburg - Mark Fish feels that Bafana Bafana are still living off their stirring triumph in the 1996 African Nations Cup.
The retired defender, who played a vital part in winning the continental crown, believes that the national team need to create new memories instead of holding on to that AFCON victory.
"After being readmitted to world football in 1992, I think we won the [Africa] Nations Cup too soon and lived on that for too long," Fish told The Independent.
"It stagnated after that and we're just playing catch-up."
The former Charlton Athletic star is hoping that Bafana Bafana display a fighting spirit that can get them beyond the group stages at the World Cup.
His advice for coach Carlos Alberto Parreira is: "In the changing room you say to them - 'We don't want to be the first host country to not even qualify from the group. This is do or die'."
The retired defender, who played a vital part in winning the continental crown, believes that the national team need to create new memories instead of holding on to that AFCON victory.
"After being readmitted to world football in 1992, I think we won the [Africa] Nations Cup too soon and lived on that for too long," Fish told The Independent.
"It stagnated after that and we're just playing catch-up."
The former Charlton Athletic star is hoping that Bafana Bafana display a fighting spirit that can get them beyond the group stages at the World Cup.
His advice for coach Carlos Alberto Parreira is: "In the changing room you say to them - 'We don't want to be the first host country to not even qualify from the group. This is do or die'."