Southend United to rename 'Rose West' stand

Southend United said it would look at a "different arrangement of words" for the stand

A football club that renamed a stand after a sponsor will change its name again, after fans pointed out it included the name of a serial killer.

Southend United sold naming rights for the West Stand at their Roots Hall ground to estate agents Gilbert & Rose.

Now when fans want to buy a ticket, the stadium plan shows availability in the Gilbert & Rose West Stand.

The football club said it was talking to the sponsor about a "different arrangement of words".

Rose West, together with her husband Fred, murdered an unknown number of people at the couple's house in Gloucester over a 20-year period from 1967.

The naming of the stand sparked a flurry of activity on social media.

In a tweet, Paul Napper said: "Only Southend United could have a sponsor for the West Stand called Gilbert & Rose, inevitably leading to the Gilbert & Rose West Stand."

Iain Macintosh, from The Athletic, tweeted: "I don't think they thought this one through".

The National League side said the company was a "fantastic local estate agent" and it was looking forward to working together.

But after being alerted to the wording of the stand, the club said it would look at different phrasing.

It added that the full wording of the stand had not been added to signage within the stadium.