<P> After the club was elected to the Football League, the club started an ambitious plan to redevelop White Hart Lane, beginning in 1909 with the construction of the West Stand designed by Archibald Leitch . The North and South stands were built in the early 1920s, and the East Stand completed in 1934, with the finished stadium boasting a capacity of nearly 80,000 . A bronze cockerel was placed atop the West Stand at the end of 1909--10 season . The cockerel was adopted as an emblem as Harry Hotspur, after whom the club was named, was said to be fond of cock - fighting . Tottenham had initially used spurs as a symbol in 1900 as Harry Hotspur was said to have gained the nickname as he charged in battles by digging in his spurs to make the horse go faster, and this symbol evolved into a fighting cock . </P> <P> In late 1912, Peter McWilliam was appointed manager . He would become a significant and popular figure in the club, managing the team in two separate periods, both interrupted by world wars . A number of players were signed in 1912 before McWilliam arrived, such as Arthur Grimsdell, Jimmy Cantrell and Bert Bliss . The first significant signing by McWilliam was Fanny Walden . However, McWilliam's record in the early years was poor, and Tottenham were bottom of the league at the end of the 1914--15 season when League football was suspended due to the First World War that started a year earlier . During the war years, White Hart Lane was taken over by the government and turned into a factory for making gas masks, gunnery and protection equipment . The London clubs organised their own matches, and Tottenham would play their home matches at Arsenal's Highbury and Clapton Orient's Homerton grounds . </P> <P> When football resumed in 1919, the First Division was expanded from 20 to 22 teams . The Football League extended one of the additional places to 19th - place Chelsea (who would have been relegated with Spurs for the 1915--16 season) and the other to Arsenal instead of Spurs . This promotion--Arsenal had finished only sixth in Division 2 the previous season--was controversial, and cemented a bitter rivalry that continues to this day . (The rivalry begun six years earlier, when Arsenal relocated from Plumstead to Highbury, a move opposed by Tottenham, Clapton Orient as well as Chelsea .) </P> <P> In the first season after the war, McWilliam took Tottenham straight back to Division One when they became Division Two Champions of the 1919--20 season . Two players signed this season, Jimmy Dimmock and Jimmy Seed, would become crucial members of the team together with Grimsdell . Other notable players of the period include Tommy Clay, Bert Smith and Charlie Walters . In the following year in the FA Cup, Spurs reached their second FA Cup Final after beating Preston North End in the semi-final . On 23 April 1921, Spurs beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 1--0 in the Cup Final at Stamford Bridge, with 20 year - old Dimmock scoring the winning goal . They also won their first Charity Shield . Spurs players started to wear the cockerel emblem on their shirts in 1921 after they won the FA Cup . </P>

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