Alex McLeish, attempting to place the fallout from Martin Taylor’s tackle on Eduardo da Silva behind him, will tell his players to ensure that they retain their competitive edge when Birmingham City play Tottenham Hotspur at St Andrew’s in the Barclays Premier League today.

The Birmingham manager has removed Taylor, who is suspended for today’s match, from the line of fire this week, allowing him a few days’ leave, but is conscious that the intense reaction to the tackle that ruled the Arsenal striker out of action for nine months should not affect his team’s desire to gain the victory that would keep them above the relegation zone.

Birmingham beat Tottenham 3-2 at White Hart Lane in McLeish’s first match in English football in December and, sitting only one point above the bottom three, they have produced their best performances in the biggest matches. Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal would have been hailed as an excellent result — James McFadden equalised from the penalty spot in the fourth minute of stoppage time after City had played for all but the first three minutes with ten men — had it not been for the furore that erupted over Taylor’s tackle on Eduardo, for which the defender was sent off.

McLeish likes his team to play at a high tempo and to get in opponents’ faces. If Birmingham slacken their aggressive attitude Tottenham could play them off the park. “My players will be told to go in and tackle the way I would expect them to tackle — fairly — and hopefully, they can win more than they lose,” he said.

McLeish trusts the media and is hoping that match officials will not be intensifying their scrutiny of Birmingham’s approach because of Taylor’s tackle. “If you look at tackles throughout history, you would cringe at a lot of them,” he said. “I don’t see that being a problem at all.”

Arsène Wenger’s initial plea to ban Taylor from football for life heightened the hysteria over the unfortunate incident, but the defender, who will keep away from St Andrew’s today, explained his side of the story yesterday and expressed his gratification for Eduardo’s gracious acceptance that the tackle was an accident. “We have drawn a line under it,” McLeish said. “We are pleased with Wenger’s retraction and we are pleased with Eduardo’s stance on the whole thing. That should help to pacify all the critics of the tackle, the fact that these two top people have come out and vindicated ‘Tiny’.”

Not only must McLeish replace Taylor, who was in only his third game back in the Birmingham team last Saturday, but Liam Ridgewell, his defensive partner, is struggling with a foot injury. Radhi Jaidi, who is fit, and Rafael Schmitz are likely to deputise.

Olivier Kapo is ruled out with a hamstring injury, while Cameron Jerome (hip) and Garry O’Connor (mouth infection), the strikers, are doubtful. With only one victory since that memorable triumph over Tottenham, the pressure is on Birmingham, but McLeish said: “Our performances at St Andrew’s have been fairly impressive. We have drawn far too many games but it hasn’t left us out of touch.

“Spurs will come here with a spring in their step having just won the Carling Cup. We will congratulate them on that, but we won’t be standing around admiring them. The players have to show the level of performance we got last weekend.”

McFadden justified his £5.75 million price tag and his manager’s faith. “He has taken the responsibility on of being a £5 million player,” McLeish said. “James knows that is what comes with the territory — when people look at you as a top player, you have to take that responsibility and you have to show consistency. It was a massive penalty. I was thinking if you want someone in this position it is him because I know he has got the bottle.”

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