When the Reds captured their 18th league crown in 1990 few could have expected them having to wait at least a year for every previous title they had won for another.

Liverpool swept into the 1990s on the back of unprecedented success in the previous two decades and there was little reason to believe the well would dry up.

But that it did and no player or manager since has been able to get the titles flowing again despite regularly competing at the Premier League's sharp end.

Rafael Benitez, now bolstered by the finance of American dollar billionaires George Gillett and Tom Hicks, offers their best hope yet after taking the club to two Champions League finals.

The £20million club record capture of Torres is the kind of signing he has craved since taking over in 2004 and now belief is growing that he can bridge the gap to the teams that now dominate domestically, Manchester United and Chelsea.

Yet to some degree, Liverpool have been here before.

After the departure of Liverpool's last title-winning manager, Kenny Dalglish in 1991, Graeme Souness set about a lavish spending programme.

He splashed out a then British record £2.9million on Dean Saunders and added further expensive acquisitions in the likes of Paul Stewart, David James, Mark Walters and Michael Thomas.

Just as Torres is now joining high-calibre talents of the likes of Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Xabi Alonso, Saunders and co were linking up with John Barnes, Ian Rush and the emerging Steve McManaman.

It was not to be and four years later Roy Evans tried again by forking out another British record, this time £8.5million, to add Stan Collymore's talents to a prolific forward line boasting Rush and Robbie Fowler.

Evans' successor Gerard Houllier also spent big on a striker, paying £11million for Emile Heskey, but despite having Fowler, Michael Owen and Gerrard at his disposal as well, the title remained elusive.

He then spent £14million on Djibril Cisse as a parting gift to the club in 2004, but the Reds have never truly looked like ending their title drought.

The Liverpool title-winning sides of the 1970s and 1980s ran almost seamlessly into one another.

Dalglish the player picked up where Kevin Keegan left off, Bruce Grobbelaar moved in when Ray Clemence departed and Alan Hansen picked up the defensive baton from Emlyn Hughes.

The sides that ran through the eras of Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Dalglish seemed self-renewing but the chain has long since been broken along with the dismantling of the famed boot room.

Souness and all the Liverpool managers that followed him enjoyed cup success but trying to create a new title-winning dynasty has become the Anfield holy grail.

The 1990 side claimed the title in the best traditions of Liverpool FC, coupling a strong defence with the patient passing game that was the hallmark of their glory years.

Grobbelaar and Hansen laid a solid foundation, Ronnie Whelan and Steve McMahon brought a sturdy influence, Ray Houghton added drive, Peter Beardsley and Barnes offered considerable flair and Rush fired no end of goals.

The problem was the team peaked together and the rebuilding process is still going on 17 years later.

After winning the Champions League two years ago and coming close to repeating the feat last season, Benitez already deserves a place in any Anfield hall of fame. If he can add the one the club really want, the club could almost stop his wages. He would never need to pay for anything in Liverpool again.