The former England international is concerned about the club’s current position and believes that a lot of changes need to be made if they are going to compete in the topflight.
Speaking at an event where he was releasing his autobiography, he gave his views on the club’s problems this season.
Cole said: “West Ham is like having a teenage kid when you want to grab them and show them the right path but they keep doing mad things, yet you still love them.”
“They are known all over the world and don’t have to market themselves. The reputation of the club in so many ways carries them forwards. It’s an accidental reach if you like. They are a very organic club.
“Yet none of this is getting them anywhere.”
“I'm not saying some Messiah is going to walk in there and sort it from day one, it needs to be strategic, and it needs to be purposeful. It needs to be different. It needs to look different.”
Cole also believes that if things do not change, then top players like Jarrod Bowen may consider leaving in pursuit of Champions League football.
Cole said: “You have a finite amount of time in the game. When Jarrod’s head hits the pillow every night he needs to know whether he can play Champions League or for England regularly.
“He can, but he needs to know it. There's a clock ticking on a career. When you're a player, your loyalty is how committed you are, how much you play and fight for the club**_._**”
Cole started his career with West Ham United, where, after breaking into the first team in January 1999, he played more than 120 Premier League games over five seasons. He was one of a number of players who left West Ham in the summer of 2003, after the club had been relegated to the old first Division. He then joined Chelsea.
Cole will not make a penny from sales but two charities: It’s Never You, which supports families with terminally ill children, and Onside Youth Zones, which provides a network of youth facilities nationwide, will benefit from his book.