Steel played principally as a
centre half, although in his initial appearances for Rangers he played at
inside left. Notwithstanding his status as an inexperienced reserve player, the statistical summary of his time at
Ibrox ranks among the worst of all those who have played a senior game for the club, with his six appearances including a 5–0 defeat to
Partick Thistle in the
Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup, and heavy losses to
Airdrieonians and
Heart of Midlothian (5–0 and 5–1 respectively) in the opening months of the
1905–06 Scottish Division One season. Steel recovered from this setback, even after spending another two years in the background at Tottenham Hotspur following his move there in 1906, by going on to establish himself and make 141 appearances in all competitions for
Spurs (scoring four goals) between 1908 and 1912 before he moved back to Scotland with Third Lanark. He joined Clapton Orient in December 1914 and featured in 23 matches.
International While at Tottenham, he was selected for the annual
Home Scots v Anglo-Scots trial match on three occasions (1908, 1910 and 1912) but never played for
Scotland at full international level. ==Personal life==