A 4-0 win would normally be a resounding win for any team.  However, Celtic FC's head coach Ange Postecoglou was left unimpressed with his squad's fifth round Scottish Cup first half performance against Raith Rovers.

Scottish Cup Quarter-Finals 

  • Celtic FC beat Raith Rovers to reach the Quarter-Finals of the competition.
  • The Hoops manager was not pleased with his squad's first half performance.
  • Elsewhere, Olyroos Devlin and Atkinson also progressed in the Cup as Hearts beat Livingston.

More news on Aussies Abroad can be found on FTBL. 

Celtic FC beat Raith Rovers 4-0 in the fifth round of the Scottish Cup.  The home side gained the lead in the 22ns minute with a goal was set up by Tom Rogic.  The Socceroo picked out teammate Liam Scales in front of goal in the 23rd minute.  The defender then scored to make it 1-0.

This goal though was the highlight of the first half.  Despite their lead, Celtic's play was flat and at times uninspired.  The quality of play did not get past Postecoglou.  His half-time team talk made an impact as Celtic came back into the second half looking like a revitalized team.

They then found the back of the net three more times with Giorgos Giakoumakis, Daizen Maeda and Nir Bitton contibuting to the final 4-0 scoreline.

After the game Postecoglou did not mince his words with regards to his team's performance.  Speaking to Celtic TV the Australian said: 

"We were not great first half, I was disappointed with the way we went about things.

"We did not work hard enough, we took too many touches, we were moving the ball slowly.

"I made seven changes which was always going to affect our fluency a little bit but even within that I thought we were just looking really comfortable and I wasn't happy with that.

"We needed to be better and I though the second half we were. 

"It was a good response from our players. We raised the tempo.  The subs came on and made a difference.

"In the end it was a good victory and it gets us to the next round."

The approach to come out and not be shy to call out his team despite a big win does reflect the expectations the Australian coach has for his players.  They are required to give it their all when their number is called.

Postecoglou would also go on and also express his dissatisfaction in the post match interview, outlining these expectations:

“The way we set up and play our football, I forgive everything from mistakes, people making bad decisions.

“But I just won’t cop people just putting in a 45 minute shift. That’s not what it’s about.

“That’s when my frustration comes out. I just feel every time you put the shirt on there’s a price to pay for it.

“That price is you give everything you have for the time you are out there, within the context of how we play.

The head coach adding: “I got frustrated because I shouldn’t have to remind anybody about these things.

"We’ve been building the foundation for so long and you’ve got to work hard and buy into the kind of football we want to play."

Celtic next meet Bodø/Glimt in their Europa Conference League match this Thursday (Friday Australia time).

Elsewhere in the Scottish Cup, Olyroos Cameron Devlin started for the Heart of Midlothian, with fellow Australian Nathaniel Atkinson coming on in the 71rst minute.  Hearts beat Livingston by a margin of 4-3 in penalties to qualify for the Quarter-Finals.  

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The Scottish Premiership is broadcast on BeIN Sports in Australia.