MIDDLESBROUGH Football Club has announced it hopes to appeal against a landmark court decision rejecting its demand for compensation over allegations that a Premiership rival poached one of its players.

The club was seeking £7m damages from Liverpool over the transfer of German international Christian Ziege.

The Anfield club was being sued after being fined £20,000 and the player £10,000 by a Premier League inquiry which found there had been breaches of the league's rules prohibiting poaching of in-contract players.

But High Court judge Mr Justice Astill said that the Teesside club's action was based on "speculation" and had no realistic prospect of success.

A Middlesbrough spokesman said the club intended to challenge the decision. He said: "We will ask for leave to appeal the decision and hope that it is granted."

David Phillips QC, representing Middlesbrough, had told the judge that Liverpool had exploited confidential knowledge of Ziege's contract with Middlesbrough which allowed transfer negotiations to go ahead if a minimum figure of £5.5m was offered. He said Ziege was worth £7.5m, the sum offered by Rangers and Chelsea in August 2000.

If Liverpool had not made the approaches, Ziege would have stayed with Middlesbrough where he was happy and successful, said Mr Phillips.

The Teesside club had lost more money because his transfer fee would have been enhanced had he stayed with Middlesbrough and the club would have been more successful in the League if he had been present.

Mr Justice Astill said Ziege had no market value as a player because Middlesbrough had agreed to allowing him the £5.5m clause in his contract.

"For footballing reasons he wanted to go to Liverpool and would go nowhere else for any other offer," said the judge.

Mr Justice Astill said Middlesbrough could never expect damages to be awarded by a court on the supposition that the club would have ended higher in the League if the player had stayed.

Ziege now plays for Tottenham after failing to hold down a regular place at Anfield.