Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho had little sympathy for David Moyes' frustration at defending champions Manchester United's start to the Barclays Premier League season.
Moyes described an opening five-match sequence which includes games against Mourinho's Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City - as well as a tricky opening trip to Swansea today - as the toughest the club have faced for 20 years and has sought reassurances from the Premier League the run of games was nothing more than coincidence.
It was the sort of conspiracy theory Moyes' predecessor Sir Alex Ferguson often aired during his near 27-year reign at Old Trafford.
Mourinho suggested that if he had shared the same views as Moyes, he would face disciplinary action.
"If I say that I'm in big trouble," he said.
"If I say that I put myself in a difficult situation, so do the same with David."
He addressed the possibility of a conspiracy in jocular fashion, referring to "hot balls and cold balls" and a computer virus.
"I was informed the fixtures were by computer, or old fashioned with hot balls and cold balls," Mourinho said.
"If it's a computer, unless the computer has a virus, I don't know."
The only time fixtures irritate Mourinho is when it comes to midweek Champions League matches.
He believes more could be done to help English teams in Europe, by shifting fixtures further away from European games.
The self-proclaimed Special One, whose season begins against Hull tomorrow before matches with Aston Villa on August 21 and at Old Trafford on August 26, added: "I don't care if we play the first match against Hull City or against Man United, or we play three consecutive matches away or at home.
"You have to play 19 matches at home and 19 matches away. I simply don't care."
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes negotiating a tough start to the Premier League campaign is "part of being a champion".
Wenger said: "It depends how you play always. If you have a good start, if they manage to play well during these games it will be a strength for them because after that they maybe have easier games.
"The coincidence of the fixtures is part of being a champion.
"Sometimes you have a bit of luck, sometimes you have bad fixtures. That is part of it."