STAN COLLYMORE was virtually given licence to operate outside Liverpool's strict disciplinary code yesterday when it was announced his latest misdemeanour would go unpunished.

Although Collymore failed to turn up for training last Tuesday, the manager Roy Evans insisted yesterday that he would not be disciplining the errant former England forward. Astonishingly, Evans actually chose to defend Collymore: "The matter has been discussed but there will definitely not be any disciplinary measures," said Evans. "I have spoken to Stan and have accepted his explanation as to why he was absent. He will be included in my squad for Monday night's game (tonight, Sky Sports, 8.0) against Newcastle United," he added.

Meanwhile, Slaven Bilic's sense of loyalty to West Ham could well delay until the summer his transfer to Everton. Following talks with the Merseyside club yesterday, Bilic told the Everton manager Joe Royle he wanted to remain at Upton Park to help West Ham stay up.

. John Aldridge is claiming a share of Jimmy Greaves's all time goalscoring record of 467 after heading home Tranmere's second goal in their 3-2 defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.

However, some statisticians believe Greaves is still ahead of Aldridge, who insisted recently that he was just one short of equalling the record.

. Former England international striker Malcolm Macdonald has said he drinks three bottles of whisky a day, is bankrupt, suspended from his job and wracked by the pain of osteo arthritis. But Macdonald says he has decided to dry out and go on a course of alcohol counselling: "I've got no option because I know I'm slowly committing suicide. I'm going to beat the drink before it kills me."