The coaching review implemented by the Stars after the most recent season, in which they failed to progress from the semi-finals for a fourth successive time, culminated in the targeting of former New Zealand captain Fleming, based on his success at the helm of Chennai in the Indian Premier League.

The Super Kings have been arguably the most settled team in the IPL and also the most successful. The Stars similarly have arguably been the most settled team in the BBL, yet have not had comparable success to the Super Kings.

Rather than a trigger to implement a complete new strategy at the Stars, Fleming commended the Stars' record of having reached the semi-finals every season, a feat replicated only by Perth, as a positive.

"I've got some ideas about what's worked for me but I'm not arrogant enough to suggest that what I do in the IPL is the be-all and end-all ... you're dealing with basically an Indian team in the IPL, with the addition of overseas players, and this really is absolutely an Australian side," he said on Wednesday, after his appointment was confirmed.

"The one-off [finals] games haven't gone well for one reason or another but the consistency is still very important, and the time will come [when the finals hoodoo ends]. That's not to say as a right we're going to get through to another semi-final. There was a lot of work that Greg [Shipperd, former coach] put in over those years to create that consistency, and even last season the way the guys fought back to get into the semis was good.

"The consistency is a positive. It's just finding the ingredient to get across the line [in finals], whether it's the personnel that are there just doing a little bit more or whether in the trading [and signing] window there's some additions which could be made."

One of Fleming's first tasks will be to decide on the future of foundation captain Cameron White. The 31-year-old's contract has lapsed and he is yet to be offered a new one, with the Stars having put negotiations on hold until the issue of who would coach them was resolved.

"One of the things I'm surprised at is how much work is done in terms of trading and how much work is done [already] in terms of recruiting players. It seems to be as soon as the window opens, contracts are up [for offer]. There's a lot of work going on behind the scenes, so that's one of my challenges, to get up to speed with the work the Stars have done to date and also just being familiar with the core of our side," Fleming said.

"I've got the list of players and their contracts and how long they go, but also understanding the core of players going forward and there's key players in that. Cameron White is one of those so I'll work closely with Clint [Cooper, chief executive] over the next couple of days as we put together those final pieces for this year and next."

Fleming said he had not planned on applying for the Stars coaching job but said his family's familiarity with Melbourne, and the fact he is a former teammate of David Hussey and recently coached Hussey and fellow Stars player John Hastings in the IPL, had led to him accepting the offer.

"I wasn't actively seeking it so when the opportunity came up it did take a little bit of discussion, also around family time. I've got three young ones and have been trying to work out what works for us. I've had 20 years of travel and touring, so I'm not keen to become a career coach. That's why jobs like this are very important to me," he said.

"I'm pretty familiar with Victorian cricket and have a lot of respect for it, so it wasn't a tough decision once it was going to fit from a family point of view."

One issue yet to be resolved is who would coach the Stars if, under Fleming, they finally qualify for the Champions League, at which he would be unavailable unless Chennai failed to qualify for the tournament.

"First and foremost we've got to get there, and part of the appeal is developing a coaching staff that can take over [if that occurs]," he said.

It is expected the coaching panel will be quite settled beyond the change from Shipperd to Fleming. Assistant coach Trent Woodhill is aligned with Bangalore, meaning the Stars could look to groom an aspiring coach, such as Hussey, in case they qualified for next year's Champions League.

Fleming also said he would relish the opportunity to speak to the man he replaced, Shipperd - if the veteran coach was willing to do so.

"I've known Greg and have a lot of respect for Greg. We've had battles in the IPL [when he was coaching Delhi] and he's obviously played a huge part in Victorian cricket and shaping the Stars. If he's up to it I'd love to talk to him and get his ideas on the history and even going forward," Fleming said. "Time will tell. And [it would be] face to face. It certainly won't be over the phone because I've got too much respect for Greg for that. I do hope the longer it [coaching changeover] travels we can catch up."