Ultimately, the job became too much for Michael Voss and now he needs a break.

He also has no idea what comes next.

Voss has spoken of his great frustration about the end of his four-plus years as Carlton coach, but also stressed he was at peace with resigning from the AFL club.

Typical of one of the toughest players in the game's history, the three-time Brisbane Lions premiership captain was also defiant, saying Carlton was definitely in a better place than when he started as their coach.

He also had a parting shot at former Blues captain Sam Docherty, who had criticised them early this season.

News broke early on Tuesday morning that Voss was resigning, with Josh Fraser to take over as interim coach.

It is the latest in a series of unsuccessful coaching appointments for the Blues this century. John Longmire, Adam Simpson, Ken Hinkley and Nathan Buckley will all feature in speculation about who coaches Carlton beyond this season.

Coming into this season, Voss was in charge of an overhauled coaching group and had lost key players Charlie Curnow, Tom De Koning and Jack Silvagni.

Voss decided on Friday, before Carlton's narrow loss to Brisbane that evening, that he would resign.

The Blues will take an eight-game losing streak into Saturday night's game against the Western Bulldogs.

"It's very frustrating," Voss told the AFL website.

"We had a project that was sizeable. The change in player personnel, the change in the coaches was significant.

"So being able to bind that together and get that connecting really fast, and getting some level of cohesion, and doing it under the most extreme pressure, was maybe just too big a task to be able to handle.

"It doesn't mean that won't be solved in the coming weeks. It doesn't mean it won't be solved in the coming months ... but that's the point of this (resigning) - give the space, let it happen and see where the next iteration of this team can go."

Among the reasons Voss gave for resigning, one was simple - he just needs a spell.

But what the future holds is a mystery. He noted former coaches such as Neil Balme, Neil Craig, Simpson and Hinkley had made various successful transitions into new careers within sport.

"I'm at peace with the decision, but probably the most uncomfortable part about all this is I don't know what is next," he said.

"I've never been a 'Plan B' sort of guy. I've been 'plan A all-in', or 'Plan B all-out' ... what do we do next?

"Leadership doesn't promise us to be fair. The game doesn't promise to be fair."

Voss paid tribute to his wife Donna, who has been with him for most of his expansive AFL career as a player and coach.

"You can cop bullets. It's often ricochets that people feel and those people are my kids and Mum and Dad and my wife," he said.

"When you have that sort of support, you can go off and do your thing ... they're there for me, no matter what."

More pointedly, Voss did not mince his words when asked about Docherty.

"He just should know better, about what it's like to be that person inside the building," Voss said.

"I just thought that would be more an insightful conversation, rather than just join the masses."