Town's own Banksy highlights Wigan Athletic woe

The design featured administrator Gerald Krasner, with a nod to a previous comment from colleague Paul Stanley that there would be no firesale at the club.

This was before the bulk of the squad that finished mid-table in the Championship last term, before being relegated following a 12-point deduction, was picked off by vultures at knockdown prices.

The artwork lasted only a matter of hours, before being washed off first thing on Saturday morning, but it was noticed by several early birds about their daily business.

"I was walking the dog and it caught my eye," commented one. "It was only when I got close up that I realised it was the bloke who is refusing to sell Latics."

The graphic continues to be circulated on social media by supporters worried about the future of their football club.

One featured a quote from William Faulkner, Nobel Prize Laureate, which read: "Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed."

The unnamed artist has previously painted a picture of Max Power on a wall at Speedy Hire on Queen Street, and Andy Liddell on a stone bridge support over the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, close to Wigan Pier.