United boss Goodwin wary of O'Neill's 'aura'

Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin is anticipating a very different Celtic test when the sides clash in Glasgow on Saturday and knows the impact Martin O'Neill's "aura" can have on a dressing room.

Goodwin's side won the previous meeting 2-1 at Tannadice last month as part of Celtic's stumble under Wilfried Nancy, who was sacked on Monday after six defeats in his eight matches.

O'Neill oversaw seven wins in eight games as interim boss earlier this season following Brendan Rodgers' resignation in October.

He now returns to the dugout until the end of the season after Nancy's disastrous 33-day tenure left Celtic six points behind league-leaders Hearts and three behind Old Firm rivals Rangers.

"People talk about the game of football and the modern-day game," Goodwin said. "I don't think the game has changed in terms of someone's knowledge of the game. Whether Martin is 73 or 43, I don't think it makes too much of a difference.

"He knows what it means to win games of football. He knows how to do it and he's got really good people around him as well - the likes of Shaun Maloney, Mark Fotheringham and the other guys there behind the scenes.

"We have to hope that we can go there and put on the type of performance that we did here only a few weeks ago. Albeit against what we expect is going to be a different system and different personnel among it. We know how difficult a trip to Celtic Park is.

"I think they'll go back to the previous way of playing under Martin, which was a back four.

"I think that suits the current crop of players at Celtic better than the 3-4-3 system that they were trying to play in the last seven or eight games."

Goodwin came through the Celtic academy as a player and made one senior appearance for the club before being sold to Stockport County in 2002, when O'Neill was in the middle of his hugely successful original spell in Glasgow.

He recalled the hold O'Neill had over that dressing room and still expects that presence to play a huge part today.

"I was there at Celtic when Martin O'Neill arrived," Goodwin said. "I saw the instant success that he brought to the club with the signings that he made.

"It was evident to anybody that was in and around the first team at that point the kind of respect he commanded.

"When he walked into the dressing room, there were some really big characters in the dressing room at the time, with the likes of Chris Sutton, John Hartson, Stiliyan Petrov and Neil Lennon.

"But, as soon as Martin O'Neill popped his head in the door, you could hear a pin drop. That's the kind of aura that he possesses. I would imagine his characteristics would be very similar at this moment in time.

"I'm really looking forward to sharing the touchline with him tomorrow."