Jose Mourinho streets ahead in home city

REAL Madrid coach Jose Mourinho is to get a street in his home city Setubal named after him in honour of his sporting achievements.

Mourinho, the 50-year-old self-styled ‘Special One’, is arguably the most successful ever Portuguese coach. The Setubal town hall said in a statement it had made the decision because of Mourinho’s “extraordinary role in international sport”. Setubal is located south-east of Lisbon.

McParland returns to Forest as coach

FORMER Dunfermline and Berwick Rangers forward Ian McParland has returned to Nottingham Forest as part of manager Billy Davies’ coaching staff.

Edinburgh-born McParland, who played most of his career for rivals Notts County, spent over a decade as a coach at the City Ground before a spell as caretaker manager in 2006 following the departure of Gary Megson. His initial role will be to coach the Reds’ Under-21 side.

Rodgers tips Suarez for top player prize

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers believes he has the player of the year in Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan has scored 25 goals this season, 18 of which have come in the league, to put him one behind Manchester United’s Robin van Persie and three ahead of Tottenham’s Gareth Bale. Asked who he would pick as player of the year, Rodgers said: “I couldn’t look much further than Luis Suarez.”

Benfica seal TV deal with Premier League

Benfica have reached a deal with the English Premier League for exclusive screening rights in Portugal of the competition over the next three seasons. Benfica, who have the largest fan base in Portugal, said that matches will be screened by the club’s tv channel, Benfica TV, but gave no details on how much it was paying for the deal. “This is something that fills me with pride,” said Benfica president Luis Filipe Vieira.

MacDonald handed reins at Swindon

Swindon have appointed former Republic of Ireland assistant Kevin MacDonald as their new manager.

The 52-year-old from Inverness, who was caretaker manager at Aston Villa in 2010, has been handed the reins at the County Ground after Paolo Di Canio resigned last week.

MacDonald inherits a Swindon side who are fourth in npower League One and just three points behind leaders Doncaster and will be in charge of tomorrow’s trip to Coventry.