"It probably wasn't the wisest to paint it on those dates," Joe Miles said after restoring the vandalised Wolves mural near Molineux. The artwork had been finished a day or two before the West Brom derby, then hit with blue emulsion paint on matchday. Miles said the damage was frustrating, but he also believed it left Wolves fans a bit more hyped up.
The mural and the derby-day damage
Miles painted the mural at the entrance to Molineux Subway as part of a 150-year celebration for Wolves. It featured Billy Wright, Steve Bull and Raul Jimenez, and was meant to be part of the build-up around the club rather than a sideshow.
The vandalism changed that immediately. By the time fans went to the West Brom match, the mural had already been trashed, and Miles said no-one got to see it in full glory that day. West Midlands Police said an 18-year-old man arrested over the damage has been released on bail.
Miles' view of what came next
Miles, who is a Wolves fan himself, said painting something for the club beside Molineux was a personal moment. "I'm a Wolves fan myself so, being a young lad, I never really thought I'd be painting something for the club right next to Molineux," he said.
He also said the public response has stayed positive despite the damage. "I'm pretty lucky that I've been able to do that, and it's all been positive feedback," he said. On the restoration itself, he added that people still came up to speak to him and tell him how happy they were with it.
His read on the vandalism is slightly odd, but it is his read. "It probably wasn't the wisest to paint it on those dates, but it is what it is, and I think it definitely riled [them] up, and got the Wolves fans a bit more hyped up."
The mural is back in place now, and the story around it is less about damage than the way Miles has treated it as part of the club's derby-week atmosphere.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
