IF THEY had offered free Christmas pie then perhaps a battalion of Jack Horner wannabes may have joined me in the corner two Frida’s ago at the ridiculously low price of $15. As it was though, there was no pie and the corner crowd duly reflected this.

Of course I am being facetious. I acknowledge that Christmas pies capable of accommodating thumbs that intend to retrieve plums will not put bums on seats - it's just obvious. It is also obvious that simply stating a reduced ticketing price in a press release and in a few print advertisements won't have previously reticent crowds beating a path to Suncorp Stadium either.

Here are the facts. 37,000 Brisbanites battled a sudden and squalling storm to attend the second leg semi-final against Sydney FC at a minimum of $30 a few seasons back. And yet, at half that price on a spring evening that will forever be hard to recall due to its mundane and uneventful weather, the two corner sections were perhaps half filled at best.

I hadn't felt as baffled, perplexed and discombobulated since Miron Bleiberg's tenure at the club. I was immediately overcome by a strong desire to assist my beloved team and use my recently under-utilised voice at FourFourTwo to suggest a new manner of promoting the $15 corner ticket bargain.

After much consideration I have realised that painting a rosy picture of that first $15 evenings one-all draw against Newcastle United Jets would be colloquially referred to as trying to polish a turd. However, I am still convinced that there are worse ways to spend $15 in Brisbane town - and that is the message that all Roar fans should be spreading to their friends, co-workers and random strangers on varying modes of public transportation.

Of course I needed to prove this in a scientific manner that would stand up to the scrutiny of my rather discerning and dare I say handsome readers. Hence, with only noted poet Banjo Paterson and three gold coins in my wallet, I went in search of some good clean entertainment.

The $15 alternative that I decided upon was that staple of pash-rashed teenagers across the country - going to the movies. In a highly scientific attempt to replicate the random and unpredictable nature of the A-League at a suburban cinema complex I arbitrarily chose a time and nominated that I would watch whatever movie commenced nearest that particular hour.

The hands of fate, the dice of chance and that little bastard that insists on screwing me over in life hence dictated that my $15 alternative was to sit through chick-flick du jour, The Time Traveller's Wife. Furthermore, I didn't have enough money remaining in the budget to afford both a Choc Top and a Frozen Coke - woe was me.

Don't get me wrong, the film was a charmingly sentimental piece of complete crap that would surely earn any boyfriend out there some valuable brownie points with their emotionally retarded significant other. However, as I have neither a girlfriend nor the financial prosperity to attain one, the film was only made tolerable to this blogger by the presence of the stunning Rachel McAdams *sigh*.

Thankfully, my complete lack of emotional investment in the characters on screen allowed my mind to wander. After counting the number of carpeted tiles in the ceiling (348 for those playing along at home) my thoughts ultimately drifted back to my football club and I was able to draw some not particularly insightful parallels between the movie and the club. These I will briefly list and do not worry as there are no spoilers.

• The plot was leakier than Miron Bleiberg's first season defensive line.
• The casting of the lead was about as well considered as Chad Gibson's appointment as inaugural Roar captain.
• Eric Bana's leaps through time were more unpredictable than Reinaldo's attempts at goal.
• If time travel were possible then I would surely go back to a time when Tom Willis was Roar goalkeeper and Liam Reddy was not.
• People will look at you like a loser if you are a twenty-something male going to a chick-flick by yourself on a weekday.

Overall not a great experience, then again the same could be said about the one-all draw against Newcastle. However, following the away win against Adelaide United the team is once again on the upturn and there must therefore be many other $15 experiences around Brisbane that just aren't as good as watching the A-League from a corner at the home end.

So go ahead loyal, handsome readers, leave your suggestions in the comments section below. What alternatives to a Brisbane Roar home game are competing in the $15 price range? How do they compare to a night at the football? And what bizarre parallels can you draw between that activity and our beloved football club?