Report: Newcastle sack caretaker manager John Carver

The self-described "best coach in the Premier League" has reportedly paid the price for a catastrophic finish to the season.

Caretaker manager John Carver was sacked on Tuesday, according to The Telegraph, after guiding Newcastle United to three wins in five months - a record that resulted in the club flirting with relegation.

First-team coach Steve Stone is reportedly also leaving St. James' Park, as managing director Lee Charnley paves the way for the appointment of Steve McClaren, who is apparently set to take over as Carver's permanent successor upon returning from holiday later this week.

Carver returned to Newcastle in 2010 as Alan Pardew's assistant, and took charge of the club's final 20 matches last season after Pardew headed for Crystal Palace.

Incidents both on and off the pitch made his stint as caretaker manager extremely difficult. A number of key players picked up injuries, Papiss Cisse received a seven-game ban for spitting at Jonny Evans, and supporters organised protests after the club's full accounts for the end of the last financial year revealed more than £34 million sitting in the bank.

Although Newcastle didn't secure their place in the top flight of English football until the final matchday of the season, Carver remained defiant throughout the club's struggles and insisted he was the man to lead Newcastle, saying in early May: "I still think I'm the best coach in the Premier League. That's what I think. Now there's nothing wrong with that, but I still do."

McClaren was reportedly contacted twice about the managerial job at St. James' Park during Carver's brief tenure.