NEW MELBOURNE president Glen Bartlett says the club has a soft culture and it needs to get a bit of mongrel into its approach on and off the field.

 

He said the Demons needed to win respect for the way they did business and do so with integrity but be ruthless.

 

"We need to build culture where in the future nothing other than winning is acceptable," Bartlett said. 

 

Bartlett, who played four games with West Coast in 1987, joined the board in July and became president on Friday. The AFL approved his appointment to the role.

 

He became a Demons supporter three years ago after arriving in Melbourne from Perth to advance his career as a lawyer and used his first address as president to outline his philosophies.

 

Bartlett declared he will apply a football-first philosophy to the club, saying the administration must gradually fall into the background.

 

He also pledged to make the club an attractive home and destination for players saying that Melbourne had to work harder to look after senior players so they were set up for life after football.

 

"If ever a club is a sleeping giant in this area, it is the Melbourne Football Club," Bartlett said. "We have so many resources, so many connections in business to actually develop our players. We have to make development and opportunity a core of our business."

 

Melbourne has lost key players to other clubs in recent seasons with the decision to axe James McDonald at the end of 2010 under coach Dean Bailey starting a trend.

 

The out-of-contract Jack Watts is refusing to commit to the club beyond 2013 until he is confident of the club's direction while free agent Colin Sylvia remains in no rush to extend his contract.

 

Bartlett said the appointment of a new coach was a crucial decision for the club. "We have to get this right," Bartlett said.

 

The club recently interviewed experienced coaches Mark Williams and Rodney Eade for the job and still retain hope of talking Sydney Swans premiership coach Paul Roos back into coaching.

 

Caretaker coach Neil Craig is also considered a potential candidate but is yet to engage formally in the process.

 

He used the forum to express his confidence in CEO Peter Jackson and state on the record that he first met Jackson less than two months ago.

 

He said they hit it off straight away and debunked any notion they had been friends and had known each other for a long time.

 

He thanked Neil Craig for his efforts since taking over as coach mid-season and said that he had confidence in the coaching selection panel to make the right appointment.

 

He also said more appointments in the football department would flow from that crucial decision.