Chris Powell does not believe clubs are quicker to fire black managers than white managers and feels the real issue is the small pool of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people represented in the dugout.
The former England defender lost his job with Southend in March, a fortnight after West Brom sacked Darren Moore, despite them being fourth in the Championship, and two months before Brighton fired Chris Hughton.
The latter's departure prompted Troy Townsend from football's anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out to tell the Daily Telegraph 'we are now at worse than square one' in terms of promoting BAME coaching talent.
Chris Powell does not think black managers are sacked any quicker than their white peers
Powell said: 'I don't think colour has anything to do with why I, Chris or Darren lost our jobs - football is fickle and every manager, black or white, knows that.
'But if your pool of black managers is small to begin with then it can look bad when a few of us go.
'The answer to that is to increase the number of candidates of colour in position to get these jobs, because there are plenty of good BAME coaches, male and female, in academies and at grassroots.
'That is something for the game's decision-makers to consider but guys like me, Chris and Darren are trying to make a difference.
'I wonder if it will be a generational thing and, like what the first wave of black players in the 70s and 80s went through, we will get a big breakthrough.'
Their exits reduced the number of BAME managers in England's top four divisions to four, a marked contrast with the situation on the pitch, where approximately a third of the players are from an ethnic minority.
A fans' favourite as a player, Powell was appointed as Southend boss in January 2018 when the Shrimpers were struggling in League One. He steadied the ship and guided them to 10th by the end of the season, prompting many fans to think a play-off push was possible this campaign.
However, those hopes were scuppered by what Powell described as 'the most serious run of injuries' he can remember in more than 30 years in the game. What had been a settled group was thrown into
