Russian strongman Vladimir Putin admitted he has a hard time getting out of bed and hinted that he may do away with a recent winter time change if elected president in March.

President Dmitry Medvedev this year moved Russia an hour further away from Europe for the winter months by deciding to stop putting clocks back an hour in the autumn.

He said the change was causing Russians stress and illness.

But the move was questioned by the media and created a torrent of angry comments on Russian social network sites.

Mr Putin however said during a meeting with football fans in his native city of Saint Petersburg that he was not overly enthusiastic about a switch that kept Moscow in the dark until almost 10 a.m. in December and January.

“I was not the aut-hor of this idea,” he told Russian news agencies. “I always have a hard time getting out of bed.”

Mr Putin is famous for not starting big government meetings until the early evening hours and has been known on occasions to pay unannounced late-night visits to television studios and even factories.

Russian news agencies said one fan asked Mr Putin to tell Mr Medvedev that the winter time change meant football matches played in Europe in the evening were not shown in Russia until late at night.

“I will definitely relay your thoughts to Dmitry Medvedev,” Mr Putin replied. “He signed this law, but he was not the one who prepared it, so they might not have thought everything through.”

Mr Putin is widely expected to win his third term as President in March 4 elections despite a recent dip in support.