LONDON (REUTERS) - Newcastle United are in freefall after eight successive defeats but under-fire interim coach John Carver said on Thursday he is the best manager in the English Premier League.

Carver met Newcastle officials on Monday to discuss his position but the club released a statement saying their only focus was Premier League survival. The club are 15th, two points above the relegation zone.

Newcastle's 3-0 defeat by Leicester City last Saturday, in which they had two players sent off, provoked fiery comments from Carver who suggested defender Mike Williamson had got himself red-carded deliberately.

"I still have the enthusiasm for it. How positive I am can affect me. I still think I'm the best coach in the Premier League," Carver told a news conference ahead of Newcastle's match against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.

"There's nothing wrong with that and if I have the right tools, I can do the job.

"It's a tough time but if I walk around with a face on the floor it's going to affect the people around me."