PREMIERSHIP coach Paul Roos is the number one candidate to replace sacked Brisbane Lions coach Michael Voss, the club has confirmed.

Chairman Angus Johnson confirmed the Lions had approached Roos six weeks ago to canvas his interest in the job.

He said they had spoken to a number of candidates aside from Roos.

Johnson admitted to feeling under pressure to land a "big fish" after sacking the Lions golden boy.

"We felt we needed a fresh approach. We took the decision Vossy had taken the group as far as we believed he could and it was time to make a change," Johnson said.

"We're going to be contacting Paul Roos, but Paul is not the only person we'll be speaking to."
 

"We felt we needed a fresh approach. We took the decision Vossy had taken the group as far as we believed he could and it was time to make a change."

CEO Malcolm Holmes said he called Roos six weeks ago – with Voss's knowledge – to assess his interest.

"It was a phone call … going through due process and looking at potential candidates to see where he was at," Holmes said

"It was the same conversation he would have had with Melbourne.

"He wasn't comfortable talking about any opportunities (while Voss was still coaching)."

Johnson said the Lions board made the decision on Tuesday and decided to sack Voss immediately in the interests of transparency.

He said it would be unfair to hide the decision from Voss for the remaining three weeks of the season.

The financially-stricken Lions have already asked the AFL for additional funding, and Johnson said if granted, that would go "exclusively" towards football operations.

Johnson said he expected some backlash from supporters.

"It's a passionate game, our members and supporters are passionate," he said.

"They elect boards to make decisions. The bottom line, if they don’t (like it), they can kick us out. My expectation is that certainly won't happen."