Sydney coach Paul Roos says the focus on AFL coaches is "ridiculous" and he has called on the football public to go easy on under-siege pair Matthew Knights and Brett Ratten.

Ratten's Blues have slumped to eighth spot with four losses in their past five matches while Bombers fans are furious that Knights has guided Essendon to 12th on the ladder.

"It is just surprising. There is a huge focus on coaches now which is just ridiculous," Roos told reporters at the SCG on Monday.

"Essendon played in the finals last year.

"Carlton (eighth) played in the finals, there's some pressure on Ratts.

"They (Carlton) are eight and eight (win-loss record). They're very much in the mix.

"As coaches sometimes you shake your head. It's just part of the footy unfortunately."

Taking over in mid-2002, Roos led the Swans to six consecutive finals series before last year's 12th placing.

A 39-point thumping of the Blues on Sunday at Etihad Stadium gave the Swans a handy springboard to finals action in sixth spot after 16 rounds but did little to ease Ratten's concerns.

But Roos, who is stepping down at the end of the 2010 season, has urged fans and the media to get a grip on reality.

"I always get surprised," he said.

"The way the ladder is, someone's going to win the premiership, someone's going to finish bottom, there'll be eight teams in the finals and there'll eight teams who'll miss out.

"It's incredible to think that, I don't know how you deal with it, but ... eight teams are going to lose every weekend."

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