The former All Whites captain Danny Hay says outgoing coach Ricki Herbert needs to leave the role gracefully.
Wednesday night's 4-2 loss to Mexico in Wellington was Herbert's last match in charge, after eight years in the role.
It also signalled the end of New Zealand's bid to reach the World Cup in Brazil next year.
After the match Herbert took a swipe at some of his critics saying they were jealous of what he'd achieved in taking the side to the 2010 Cup in South Africa.
But Hay says anyone who takes on a high profile coaching role must accept criticism and Herbert is being narcisistic to think otherwise.
He says finding a replacement for Herbert is only the tip of the iceberg for New Zealand Football and has called for an independent review focusing on whether the organisation did the best it could to prepare the side for the 2014 world cup qualifying process.
