Alex McLeish has vowed to make St Andrews a ground where opposing teams fear to tread as he prepares for his first home game as Birmingham City manager.

McLeish has seen his side turn in two highly creditable away performances since he became Steve Bruce's successor, winning at Tottenham Hotspur and only beaten by a last-gasp goal at Newcastle United.

He said: "In football, there are no guarantees but we are trying to impress on the players that we have to make St Andrews a very difficult place for teams to come to.

City face four crucial games before the new year against sides close to them in the Barclays Premier League table - including home clashes with Reading tomorrow, Middlesbrough and Fulham.

"We will be preparing the players for a very important game. We want the tempo of our play up high, we want the fans behind us, we want to have a full house.

"For my first home game, I am really excited and we have to take the game to Reading, even though we know they are a good team. I will be looking at different tactics for different games. This one at home, the onus is on us to win the game and to go and make things happen.

McLeish knows how intimidating a place St Andrews can be from previous scouting missions and he wants to restore that atmosphere.

"I have watched games at St Andrews and it is an old English-type football ground in the traditional sense, with the fans very close to the pitch. They generate a great noise. It will be great if they can shout the house down and give the players extra energy."

Birmingnam have not kept a clean sheet since the goalless draw with Liverpool at Anfield in September and have conceded 20 goals in the last 10 matches, and McLeish is aware of the need to tighten up defensively.

"Newcastle didn't really open us up last week in normal play - but our set-piece defending concerned me a little bit," he added. "We will look to shore that up. We want to make ourselves as hard to beat as possible.

"The team have been conceding late goals. When players get tired, the big thing that can let them down is concentration. Your body might be tired but your mind has got to be 100 per cent alive.

"Perhaps, if we had been a little bit like that at Newcastle, we would have been taking a point away from that game."

McLeish, however, is fully aware of the need for City to be at their best against a Reading side on a high after their fine 3-1 win over Liverpool last weekend.

He said: "I think they are a pretty useful side. They have been in the Premier League a couple of seasons now. After a slow start, they have picked up points again this season.

"They have dangerous players in their side and we have to be at our very best if we are to get the points."